The Andean emerald (Uranomitra franciae) is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
Taxonomy and systematics
The Andean emerald was formerly placed in the genus Amazilia. A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2014 found that the genus Amazilia was polyphyletic. In the revised classification to create monophyletic genera, the Andean emerald was moved by most taxonomic systems to the resurrected genus Uranomitra that had been introduced in 1854 by Ludwig Reichenbach. However, BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) retains it in Amazilia.
The Andean emerald is the only species in genus Uranomitra. These three subspecies are recognized:
U. f. franciae (Bourcier & Mulsant, 1846)
U. f. viridiceps (Gould, 1860)
U. f. cyanocollis (Gould, 1853)
male U. f. franciae. Colombia
male U. f. franciae. Colombia
Description
The Andean emerald is 9 to 11 cm (3.5 to 4.3 in) long. Males weigh about 5.6 g (0.20 oz) and females about 5.3 g (0.19 oz). Both sexes of all subspecies have a straight to slightly decurved bill of medium length with a blackish maxilla and a coral red mandible with a dark tip. Adult males of the nominate subspecies U. f. franciae have a glittering violet-blue crown and glittering golden- to emerald green cheeks and neck. Their upperparts and flanks are light green to golden-green with a coppery tinge to the uppertail coverts. The center of their underparts is white. Their tail is bronze-green to copperish. The adult female is similar to the male but its crown is turquoise-blue to greenish and less glittering. Juveniles are similar to the adult female and also have brownish edges on the upperparts' feathers and grayish brown flanks.
Subspecies U. f. viridiceps differs from the nominate with a shorter tail and a green crown. U. f. cyanocollis also differs slightly from the nominate; the blue of its...
