Blue-throated Hillstar (new species discovered 2017)

[Donkees]

The Blue-throated Hillstar is a recently discovered hummingbird. It was found in April 2017 in the Ecuadorian Andes at high elevation. It usually frequents bush-lined creeks, and its habitat is only about 114 km².

This species described in September 2018 is especially adapted to cold temperatures. Like other hillstars of this group, it spends at least half its life in hypothermic torpor, because it is living in a cold, oxygen-reduced environment.

It feeds on nectar from flowers, and especially Asteraceae, but other plant species are also visited. The breeding behaviour is currently unknown.

The Blue-throated Hillstar is a restricted-range species, threatened by mining activity, pine-tree plantations and pastureland expansion, involving habitat loss. Conservation actions are needed to protect the small area where this bird is living.

The Blue-throated Hillstar is currently listed as Critically Endangered.

https://www.oiseaux-birds.com/card-blue-throated-hillstar.html

Ornithologists say there are only about 300 blue-throated hillstars and that the species is in danger of extinction.