Birds · Apodiformes · Trochilidae

Shining Sunbeam

Aglaeactis cupripennis

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The shining sunbeam, also called the coppery hummingbird or long-winged hummingbird, is an apodiform bird of the family Trochilidae belonging to the genus Aglaeactis. It is native to the Andean regions of north-western and west-central South America.

Weight

6 g – 9 g

Size

11 cm – 13 cm

Lifespan

8 years

Diet

Nectarivore

Feeds mainly on flower nectar.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

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Fun facts

Its iridescence is on the rump, not the throat: from the front it looks like a plain brown hummingbird, and only when it turns does it show a flash of copper and violet.
It lives above 4,000 metres at some points in the Andes, where the night-time temperature drops below zero all year round, and it depends on nightly torpor to survive.
It pollinates the frailejones (Espeletia) and other páramo plants, an ecosystem that exists only in the northern Andes and that is the main regulator of that region's water supply.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Páramo, high-Andean scrub and cloud forest edge, between 2,500 and 4,500 metres
Sexual maturity: 12 months
Gestation / incubation: 17 days of incubation
Litter / clutch size: 2 eggs

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aglaeactis_cupripennis