Venezuelan sylph

The Venezuelan sylph (Aglaiocercus berlepschi) is a species of hummingbird.  It is restricted to a small area of north-eastern Venezuela and is classed as an endangered species by BirdLife International. It is sometimes thought to be a subspecies of the Long-tailed Sylph (A. kingi).

The male is 22 centimeters in length with the elongated outer tail-feathers accounting for 14-15 centimeters. Its color is mostly  green. The throat is blue and the outer tail-feathers are violet, becoming blue towards the tips. The female is 9.5-11 centimeters long. The tail is shorter than that of the male but still fairly long and slightly forked. Females have a blue crown and white throat, breast and belly.

The Long-tailed Sylph is almost the same in color but does not overlap in range. Males of the subspecies caudatus have a mostly blue tail and no blue throat patch, while males of the subspecies margarethae have green tips to the tail-feathers. Females have a rufous breast and belly.

References
 (2007) Species factsheet: Aglaiocercus berlepschi.  Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 16/9/2007.
 (1978) A Guide to the Birds of Venezuela, Princeton University Press.

Other websites

BirdLife Species Factsheet.
Photograph of a Venezuelan Sylph

Category:Birds of South America
Category:Hummingbirds