The Santa Marta woodstar is a species of hummingbird in tribe Mellisugini of subfamily Trochilinae, the "bee hummingbirds". It is endemic to Colombia.
Region
Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (northern Colombia)
Typical Environment
Confined to the slopes and foothills of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, it uses humid montane forest, forest edges, elfin forest, and shrubby secondary growth. It often frequents flowering shrubs, forest clearings, and shade coffee with native hedgerows. Gardens and riparian thickets with abundant blooms can also attract it. The species is patchy where flowers are seasonally abundant and may shift locally with blooming cycles.
Altitude Range
1200–2600 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
This tiny hummingbird is restricted to the isolated Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta massif in northern Colombia. Males show a brilliant, shining gorget and a clean white pectoral band, and both sexes have the bumblebee-like flight typical of woodstars. It relies on seasonal blooms and also takes small insects for protein. Habitat loss and fragmentation within its small range are the main threats.
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with agile hovering and darting
Social Behavior
Typically solitary at flowers, with males defending small feeding territories. Courtship involves swift chases and display flights near flowering patches. Nesting is by the female alone, building a tiny cup nest on a sheltered twig and raising two chicks.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations are thin, high-pitched chips and short, buzzy trills given from low perches or while hovering. The rapid wing hum is often as audible as the calls, especially during display flights.
Plumage
Male with iridescent green upperparts, a glittering violet-purple gorget, and a crisp white pectoral band; tail short and slightly forked. Female with green upperparts, whitish throat, warm rufous to buff underparts, and a small white post-ocular spot; tail with rufous bases and darker tips.
Diet
Feeds primarily on nectar from a variety of tubular and small clustered flowers, including shrubs and canopy epiphytes. It supplements its diet with small insects and spiders, gleaned from foliage or hawked in short sallies. Seasonal movements within its range often track peak flower abundance.
Preferred Environment
Forages along forest edges, gaps, and secondary growth where flowering plants are concentrated. It also visits hedgerows, riparian thickets, and gardens with abundant blooms.
