9 stunning hummingbirds of Ecuador

Blue-throated hillstar (Oreotrochilus cyanolaemus)

The blue-throated hillstar was discovered in 2017 and may already be critically endangered. (Photo: Francisco Sornoza)

Discovered in 2017 and described in a October 2018 study published in The Auk: Ornithological Advances, the blue-throated hillstar inhabits an isolated area of Ecuador spanning 60 square miles (155 square kilometers) between the provinces of Loja and El Oro, near the Pacific Ocean. While bird scholars celebrated the confirmation of a new hummingbird, the blue-throated hillstar is also a canary in the coal mine of sorts. With an estimated population of only 750 individuals, it already meets the criteria for a critically endangered species, the study's authors write.

The birds thrive in arid environments 11,000 feet (3,350 meters) above sea level, having adapted to the high altitudes by minimizing how much they hover and spending nights in a state of hibernation known as torpor. Additionally, the blue-throated hillstar has larger feet than most hummingbirds, allowing it to hop between branches and hang upside down to reach nectar.

White-necked jacobin (Florisuga mellivora)

The white-necked jacobin has a sizable home range that covers the southern half of Central America and a large swath of South America. (Photo: Ben Keen [CC BY-SA 4.0]/Wikimedia Commons)

The white-necked jacobin is most often found in humid forest canopies or the tops of second-growth forests, according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Some reports have the species living in coffee and cacao plantations as well. This bird will get very territorial with others, especially if there's nectar nearby.

Telling males and females of the species apart can be a little tricky. Females can look almost exactly like the male save for longer beaks and shorter wings.

Violet-tailed sylph (Aglaiocercus coelestis)

Violet-tailed sylph males are easy to identify thanks to their namesake split tails. (Photo: Andy Morffew [CC BY 2.0]/Wikimedia Commons)

The violet-tailed sylph was once considered a member of a different species entirely, the long-tailed sylph. The two species have some overlap in their ranges, and so their distinctly long tails initially led to them being classified as the same bird. The violet-tailed sylph had different enough morphology, behavior and distribution, however, that it was reclassified as its own species.

Perhaps the most noticeable difference between the two sylphs is their tails. As the name would suggest, violet-tailed sylphs have tails with a purple hue and bluish tips. Long-tailed sylphs have blue or teal tails through and through.

Sapphire-vented puffleg (Eriocnemis luciani)

The sapphire-vented puffleg hummingbird, like other members of its genus, has cotton-like tufts around its feet. (Photo: Joseph C Boone [CC BY-SA 3.0]/Wikimedia Commons)

As if hummingbirds weren't cute enough, here come the pufflegs. Members of this genus have tufts of feathers around their feet, like fluffy little leg warmers. The sapphire-vented puffleg hummingbird has bright green feathers with dashes of blue near the beak. The birds' tails are bluish-black, a stark contrast to their bodies.

These hummingbirds favor mountainous regions that have low-level foraging options, namely small flowers with places for perching. The bird is a relative unknown, however, when it comes to its biology, and there are unexplained gaps in its distribution across Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela.

Brown violetear (Colibri delphinae)

The brown violetear isn't as flashy as many of its brethren. (Photo: Andy Morffew [CC BY 2.0]/Wikimedia Commons)

From stand out to blend in, the brown violetear is a more subdued-looking hummingbird. Its brown body feathers are broken up only by violet and green feathers around the cheeks and throat. The bird prefers humid forest canopies or coffee plantations as a habitat. In addition to nectar, it's known to snatch insects out of midair as snacks.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology says the bird has a "sharp rough song."

White-whiskered hermit (Phaethornis yaruqui)

White-whiskered hermits are a shy bunch. (Photo: Nomdeploom [CC BY-SA 4.0]/Wikimedia Commons)

Speaking of songs, the white-whiskered hermit sings as it zips around forests, looking for nectar. You can listen to its song by clicking here.

Its song is amplified when males gather in a group. They send out dozens of vocalizations every minute in an effort to attract females.

Chestnut-breasted coronet (Boissonneaua matthewsii)

Coronet hummingbirds, like this chestnut-breasted species, tend to be heavier than other hummingbirds. (Photo: Joseph C Boone [CC BY-SA 3.0]/Wikimedia Commons)

Described by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology as "stout, heavy-bodied birds," chestnut-breasted coronets have a basic color pattern: a green upper body and their red-orange undersides. This makes them easy to recognize in their favored habitats of humid mountainous forests. They're well-known for leaving their wings extended for a second or two after landing before settling in on the perch.

Crowned woodnymph (Thalurania colombica)

The crowned woodnymph hummingbird is a jewel with wings. (Photo: Joseph C Boone [CC BY-SA 3.0]/Wikimedia Commons)

Male crowned woodnymph hummingbirds glitter in the humid lowland forests of Ecuador. There are four different subspecies, three of which have a green throat and blue belly while the fourth is an all green affair.

Amethyst-throated sunangel (Heliangelus amethysticollis)

The amethyst-throated sunangel has a messy taxonomy. (Photo: Dominic Sherony [CC BY-SA 2.0]/Wikimedia Commons)

Like the crowned woodnymphs, amethyst-throated sunangels have multiple subspecies — three northern subspecies in the Andes of northeastern Colombia and in Venezuela, and another three from southern Ecuador south to Bolivia. Regardless of the country, these sunangels favor the edges of humid forests near mountains.