Blue-mantled Thornbill
A species of Chalcostigma thornbills Scientific name : Chalcostigma stanleyi Genus : Chalcostigma thornbills
Blue-mantled Thornbill, A species of Chalcostigma thornbills
Botanical name: Chalcostigma stanleyi
Genus: Chalcostigma thornbills
Content
Description General Info
Photo By Dubi Shapiro 
Description
The species has a dark blue and green back and wing feathers, and a dark brown and green body. The crissum (the undertail coverts surrounding the cloaca) is cinnamon with a scaly pattern. A thin green and purple strip is found on the throat and a small part of the breast in males. There is a white line in the corner of the eye, and white down feathers are present near the vent. The needle-like beak, specialized for extracting nectar from small flowers (including the genera Berberis, Gaultheria, Ribes, and Gentiana), is about the same size as the head and black in color. As other hummingbird species, the blue-mantled thornbill also feeds on insects. Total size varies between 11 and 13 cm; the tail is about half as long as the body. Males weigh about 6.2 g and females about 4.5 g. The species breeds during the rainy season, incubating two eggs. 
Size
13 cm
Feeding Habits
Blue-mantled Thornbill consumes nectar from various small flowers, gleans sugary secretions and insects from foliage, and occasionally catches insects mid-flight. It exhibits territory defense during feeding.
Habitat
The blue-mantled Thornbill favors humid, montane environments characterized by páramo and jalca vegetation. It is particularly partial to steep and rocky areas, often dwelling within or near patches of Gynoxys or Polylepis woodlands and scrubs. The bird frequently forages on the ground and within the lower strata of its habitat.
Dite type
Nectivorous
General Info
Distribution Area
The blue-manteled thornbill generally occurs at altitudes of 3000–4200 m in Ecuador, Bolivia, and Perú, but has also been reported at slightly lower or higher elevations (2200–4500 m). Their area of distribution is approximately 117,000 km. The species migrates to lower elevations in the rainy season. The blue-manteled thornbill's habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests and high altitude shrublands, and mainly in subtropical and tropical high altitude grasslands. It does not necessarily depend on the presence of forest, and may be found in páramo grasslands, humid Polylepis woodlands, near jalca vegetation, and in steep rocky terrain. C.s. stanleyi is found on the Andean slopes of Ecuador from Carchi to Azuay; C.s. versigulare on the eastern slopes from Perú south to the Cordillera Carpish (Huánuco), and the western slope of the Cordillera Blanca; and C. s. vulcani on the eastern slopes from south Perú to Cochabamba in Bolivia.
Species Status
The blue-mantled thornbill has been classified as Least Concern by the IUCN based on its wide distribution and large population numbers. However, populations are decreasing mainly due to habitat loss driven by deforestation for agricultural expansion and logging mainly of Polylepis woods.
Photo By Dubi Shapiro 
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Birds Order
Swifts and hummingbirds Family
Hummingbirds Genus
Chalcostigma thornbills Species
Blue-mantled Thornbill 
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