Little Woodstar
Chaetocercus bombus
The Little Woodstar (Chaetocercus bombus) is a rare hummingbird found in 2 countries, weighing about 7 g. The little woodstar, called estrellita chica in South America, is a Near Threatened species of hummingbird in tribe Mellisugini of subfamily Trochilinae, the "bee hummingbirds".
About the Little Woodstar
The little woodstar, called estrellita chica in South America, is a Near Threatened species of hummingbird in tribe Mellisugini of subfamily Trochilinae, the "bee hummingbirds". It is found in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The little woodstar is 6 to 7 cm (2.4 to 2.8 in) long. Both sexes have a straightish black bill. The male is mostly dark bronzy blue-green. It has a buffy white line behind the eye that curves down to meet the buffy chest. Its gorget is rosy. The tail is forked and its outermost feathers are shafts with no vanes. The female is bronzy green above and mostly cinnamon below with tawny flanks and vent. The tail is rounded and tawny with a black bar near the end. Voice: What is thought to be the little woodstar's song is "a mixture of chips, twitters and buzzy notes, 'tsitsitsi..tzzeee-tzzeee..chichip'." It makes "a single dry 'chip' or doubled 'chichip'" while feeding and hovering and "a squeaky 'kswee-kswee-ti-ti-ti'" while interacting with other hummingbirds.
What the Little Woodstar sounds like
Where it lives
When to see it
The Little Woodstar can be seen all year round, with peak activity in November. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Little Woodstar?
- The little woodstar is 6 to 7 cm (2.4 to 2.8 in) long. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Little Woodstar?
- The Little Woodstar is a tiny sized bird weighing about 7 g.
- Where can you see a Little Woodstar?
- The Little Woodstar occurs in 2 countries, including Peru and Ecuador.
- What does a Little Woodstar sound like?
- You can listen to 3 field recordings of the Little Woodstar on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Little Woodstar?
- The Little Woodstar is most easily confused with the Santa Marta Woodstar, the Rufous-shafted Woodstar and the Esmeraldas Woodstar.
- Is the Little Woodstar endangered?
- The Little Woodstar is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Little Woodstar for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
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