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Blue-fronted Lancebill

Doryfera johannae

Least Concern · IUCN Red List

LCLeast ConcernNectarForestDomed nestTiny · 5 g
Blue-fronted Lancebill (Doryfera johannae), photo 1
Photo: Dario Taraborelli · CC0
Blue-fronted Lancebill (Doryfera johannae), photo 2
Photo: Dario Taraborelli · CC0
Blue-fronted Lancebill (Doryfera johannae), photo 3
Photo: Ryan F. Mandelbaum · CC BY 4.0
Blue-fronted Lancebill (Doryfera johannae), photo 4
Photo: Ryan F. Mandelbaum · CC BY 4.0
Blue-fronted Lancebill (Doryfera johannae), photo 5
Photo: Tom Field · CC BY 4.0
Blue-fronted Lancebill (Doryfera johannae), photo 6
Photo: Christoph Moning · CC BY 4.0
Blue-fronted Lancebill (Doryfera johannae), photo 7
Photo: Hemminki Johan · CC BY 4.0
Blue-fronted Lancebill (Doryfera johannae), photo 8
Photo: Christoph Moning · CC BY 4.0
Blue-fronted Lancebill (Doryfera johannae), photo 9
Photo: Zieger M · CC BY 4.0

What the Blue-fronted Lancebill sounds like

Sonogram of the Blue-fronted Lancebill: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Call · Zamora-Chinchipe: Filo de Chumbiriatza, tepui 4.5 km SW Las Orchideas, above "Cabañas Yankuam", Nangaritza Valley, Ecuador · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via xeno-canto

ID tip

The blue-fronted lancebill is 9.6 to 11 cm (3.8 to 4.3 in) long. Males weigh 3 to 5 g (0.11 to 0.18 oz) and females 3.3 to 6 g (0.12 to 0.21 oz). Both sexes have a long straight to slightly upcurved bill, and often hold it at an upward angle. Males of the nominate subspecies have a violet forehead ("front"), a bronze nape, and otherwise dark bronzy green upperparts. The tail is short and blue-black. The underparts are blue-black with a bluish green gloss on the throat and breast. The female differs from the male by having a greenish blue forehead and dull grayish bronzy green underparts. Voice: The blue-fronted lancebill's song has not been described and apparently has not been recorded. While foraging it makes "thin, dry, chittering notes...e.g. 'chuert'."

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Blue-fronted Lancebill

One bar for each month, and every month is filled: this bird is recorded here in all twelve. The wide bar is July, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Blue-fronted Lancebill

Regular rangeRare visitor

The map shades 5 countries with regular records, and 1 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

Ecuador Peru Colombia Venezuela Guyana

Recorded as a rare visitor in Brazil.

About the Blue-fronted Lancebill

The blue-fronted lancebill is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Green-fronted Lancebill (Doryfera ludovicae) Green-fronted LancebillDoryfera ludovicaeThe green-fronted lancebill, as the name suggests, is distinguished by a "glittering" green patch of feathers on their forehead.

Side by side: Blue-fronted Lancebill vs Green-fronted Lancebill

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