Description: Very striking hummingbird, 12 to 19 cm in length depending on tail length, much longer and more showy in males. Male: green belly with light brown undertail coverts and bright green throat. Back and rump reddish-purple; tail very long, deeply forked, bright red with black tips, unmistakable. Female: green back with reddish rump; throat and chest whitish-beige finely spotted with green; white eye spot; reddish tail shorter and forked, without long outer rectrices.

Distribution: Andes from Colombia to northwestern Argentina. In Argentina it occurs in Jujuy, Salta, Tucumán, Catamarca, La Rioja, San Juan, Mendoza, Córdoba, and San Luis; occasionally farther east during winter movements.

Habitat: Yungas and shrubby ravines of northwestern Argentina; also central sierras and high-elevation grasslands. Dry slopes with shrubs, rocky gorges, and semi-arid environments with presence of cacti. Especially between 2,000–5,000 m, but may reach sea level during winter descent. Mainly resident with altitudinal movements; in winter it may move eastward, occasionally reaching as far as Buenos Aires.

Feeding: Feeds mainly on nectar, visiting flowers of shrubs, vines, and cacti, especially in open and montane environments. Shows territorial behavior over flowering plants, actively defending them from other hummingbirds. Supplements its diet with small arthropods (insects and spiders), captured in flight or collected from foliage, providing essential protein.

Behavior: Generally solitary. Males very conspicuous, active, and territorial, often perching in exposed sites from which they monitor flowers and perform chasing flights, and frequently display: they open and move their long tail in flight or while perched, increasing visibility. Flight agile and powerful, with long movements between vegetation patches.

Breeding: Nest cup-shaped, built with mosses and lichens, placed on rocky walls, shrubs, or Polylepis. Clutch of 2 eggs. Incubation about 20 days, carried out by the female. During the breeding season, the male performs display flights in arc or pendulum shape, highlighting the long tail.

Conservation status: Species not threatened at national or international level. It is a common species and adaptable to modified habitats.


Author of this compilation: Diego Carus and María Belén Dri – 03/04/2026