Métallure tyrianthine

En bref

  • Scientific Name: Metallura tyrianthina
  • Spanish Name: Colibrí metálico tirio
  • Famille : Trochilidae
  • Known Nicknames: Tyrian Metaltail, Green Metaltail, Tyrian-throated Metaltail
  • Longueur moyenne : 9 à 11 cm / 3,5 à 4,3 pouces
  • Average Weight: 4–5.5 g / 0.14–0.19 oz
  • Wingspan: 12–14 cm / 4.7–5.5 in
  • Key Feature: Iridescent purple throat (gorget) with metallic green upperparts and coppery tail
  • Primary Diet: Nectarivore (feeds on nectar), also small arthropods
  • Range: Andes of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia
  • Habitat: Humid montane forest and forest edges, paramo, and shrubby areas at 1,800–3,800 m
  • Social Structure: Solitary (except during breeding)
  • Nesting/Breeding: Cup nest on a branch or in a crevice, often near water
  • Statut de conservation : Préoccupation mineure (LC)
  • Évolution démographique : Stable

The Tyrian Metaltail (*Metallura tyrianthina*) is a dazzling, small hummingbird endemic to the high-altitude cloud forests and páramo of the Andes, from Venezuela to Bolivia. Males are unmistakable, with a glittering, iridescent golden-green body and a deep, velvety purple or "tyrian" throat that flashes in the light, while females are more subdued with a pale, spotted throat and a coppery rump. Its most unique feature is its namesake tail: long, deeply forked, and shimmering with a metallic bronze or purple sheen, which it fans out dramatically during aerial displays. A specialized, short, straight bill allows it to feed on tubular flowers like those of the *Bomarea* and *Puya* families, often hovering with a rapid, insect-like wingbeat. As a high-altitude specialist, it has a remarkable ability to enter torpor on cold nights, conserving energy until the sun warms its mountain domain.

Faits amusants

Despite its name, the Tyrian Metaltail isn't always metallic; its gorget (throat patch) shifts from fiery copper to deep violet depending on the light, a trick achieved by microscopic feather structures that scatter specific wavelengths. It is a master of high-altitude living, with a heart rate that can skyrocket to over 1,000 beats per minute to pump oxygen in the thin air of the Andes. Quirkily, it often hangs upside-down like a tiny acrobat to sip nectar from tubular flowers, and males perform a bizarre, high-pitched "squeaky toy" song during courtship that sounds more like a rusty hinge than a bird.

Habitats et répartition

The Tyrian Metaltail occupies a narrow elevational band in the humid temperate zone, primarily within elfin cloud forests and high-altitude shrublands dominated by *Polylepis* and *Gynoxys* vegetation. It is also found along forest edges, in ravines with dense undergrowth, and near treeline páramo habitats with scattered woody plants. Its geographical range is restricted to the eastern slope of the Andes in central and southern Peru, from the Cordillera Blanca south through Junín, Cusco, and Puno, extending into the adjacent Yungas of western Bolivia. The species is endemic to this region, occurring between approximately 2,800 and 3,800 meters above sea level.

Comportements & Reproduction

The Tyrian Metaltail is generally solitary outside of the breeding season, with males defending small feeding territories rich in flowering plants. During courtship, the male performs a distinctive aerial display, flying in a wide U-shaped pattern while producing a sharp, metallic trill with his tail feathers to attract a female. Mating is brief and occurs at a perch, after which the male takes no further part in parental care. The female builds a small, cup-shaped nest of moss and plant fibers, often hidden in a crevice or under an overhang on a steep bank. She lays a clutch of two white eggs and incubates them alone for about 16–18 days. A unique strategy for this high-altitude hummingbird is its ability to enter torpor at night to conserve energy, which helps sustain the extended metabolic demands of egg incubation and chick rearing in the cold, thin air of the Andes.

Alimentation

The Tyrian Metaltail is a nectarivorous hummingbird, with its diet consisting primarily of the nectar from a variety of high-altitude flowering plants, particularly those in the families Ericaceae (heaths) and Melastomataceae. It uses its specialized, long, forked tongue to lap up nectar while hovering. An interesting fact is that it is a "trap-line" feeder, visiting a regular circuit of specific flowers in a predictable sequence to maximize energy intake. Additionally, to supplement its high-sugar diet with essential protein and nutrients, it actively consumes small arthropods like spiders and insects, which it catches either by gleaning them from leaves and bark or by hawking them in mid-air.

Couleurs

The Tyrian Metaltail is a small hummingbird with iridescent, glittering plumage. Males are predominantly deep green with a brilliant, fiery golden-green to coppery throat and a long, forked, purplish-black tail. Females are duller, with a pale rufous throat spotted with green and a shorter, less forked tail. Their metallic coloration serves as camouflage in dappled forest light.