About the Scaled Metaltail
The scaled metaltail is a species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Bolivia and Peru.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
The scaled metaltail is 12 to 13 cm (4.7 to 5.1 in) long and weighs 5.2 to 5.4 g (0.18 to 0.19 oz). It has a medium length, straight, black bill. The adult male of the nominate subspecies has bottle green upperparts. Its slightly forked tail is iridescent sky blue with bronzy green tones on its upper side and glittering green on its underside. Its gorget is iridescent bright green. The rest of its underparts are green with a scaly appearance from tan feather margins. The adult female is similar to the male. Its gorget is smaller and its undersides are more mottled. Voice: The scaled metaltail's chase call is "a descending series of 3–6 squeaky notes, followed by a repeated, buzzy, jumbled phrase, 'trt-tsee-seee-seee-sew..trr-tsee-tsew..trr-tsee-tsew..'."
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where it lives
When to see it
Peak activity in October · a variable species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Coppery MetaltailMetallura theresiaeThe coppery metaltail is 10 to 10.5 cm (3.9 to 4.1 in) long and weighs about 5 g (0.18 oz).
Violet-throated MetaltailMetallura baroniThe violet-throated metaltail is 10 to 11 cm (3.9 to 4.3 in) long.
Perija MetaltailMetallura iracundaThe Perijá metaltail is 10 to 11 cm (3.9 to 4.3 in) long and weighs 3.6 to 4.1 g (0.13 to 0.14 oz).
Learn the Scaled Metaltail for real
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