The butterfly coquette (Lophornis adorabilis) is a species of hummingbird found in South America. With its vibrant colors and tiny size, this little bird lives up to its name, flitting about like a bright butterfly. Measuring only 5-6 centimeters in length and weighing 2-3 grams, the coquette is one of the smallest hummingbirds in the world. There are nine recognized subspecies of the butterfly coquette, each with slight variations in plumage color and pattern.
Description
The most distinctive feature of the butterfly coquette is the male’s extravagant plumage. The head and throat are an iridescent turquoise-green, appearing bright blue in certain lights. The breast is white, while the back and tail coverts are a vibrant metallic green. However, what really makes the male coquette stand out are the elongated head plumes and tail streamers, measuring up to six centimeters in the nominate L. a. adorabilis. These ornamental feathers shimmer with an array of rainbow hues. Females lack the long plumes and streamers and have white rounded tails with green central spots. Their plumage is more subdued, with a bronze-green crown, gray underparts, and green wings and back.
The coquette’s bill is slender and black, ideal for sipping nectar from flowers. Their wings are long and narrow for sustained hovering flight. Unlike other hummingbirds, the coquette’s feet are weak and unable to walk or hop. They live their lives on the wing.
Habitat and Distribution
The butterfly coquette is found along the eastern slopes of the Andes Mountains in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. Its habitat includes cloud forests, elfin forests, and edges of mountain woodlands at elevations between 1500-3000 meters. They prefer areas with an abundance of flowering plants and thick vegetation.
Diet
Like all hummingbirds, the coquette feeds on flower nectar and tiny insects. Their long bills allow them to access nectar in long tubular flowers. Some favorite nectar sources are the flowers of the genera Bomarea, Fuchsia, and Puya. They use their slender bills to sip the nectar while hovering in front the flower. The coquette also hawks small insects in flight, capturing additional protein to fuel their hyperactive metabolisms.
Behavior
The coquette is solitary and territorial. Males establish feeding territories with plenty of flowers, chasing away intruders with acrobatic dive displays. Their iridescent colors not only attract females, but also ward off competing males. Females, however, often freely move between territories. When approaching a flower already occupied by another coquette, an intruder will announce itself through series of cheeps and chirps. The territory holder may respond aggressively and drive away the intruder, or simply acquiesce and share the flower.
Males perform elaborate courtship rituals, flying back and forth in front of the female. If receptive, the female will crouch low, quiver her wings, and allow copulation. The female alone builds the tiny cup nest, using plant down and spider silk to bind lichen, moss and leaves together. She incubates the two pea-sized eggs for 15-19 days, and cares for the chicks for another 20-26 days until fledging.
Threats and Conservation
Habitat loss poses the greatest threat to the butterfly coquette, as cloud forest areas continue to be cleared for agriculture and development. The species is also threatened by climate change, which causes shifts in temperature and flower availability. Although still relatively common throughout its range, some subspecies with restricted distributions are declining.
Protecting remaining tracts of mountain cloud forest will be crucial for conservation of the coquette. Ecotourism may also help provide incentives for preservation of its habitat. Currently the butterfly coquette is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN due to its wide distribution, but some subspecies such as the threatened Perija coquette may need more localized protections. With appropriate habitat conservation measures, the glittering butterfly coquette and its flying jewel-like beauty can continue to brighten the cloud forests of South America.