description Black-breasted puffleg Overview
The black-breasted puffleg, Eriocnemis nigrivestis, is a hummingbird endemic to the high Andes of northwestern Ecuador. The species is recognized by its predominantly dark plumage and the conspicuous white feather tufts around its legs that give pufflegs their name. It occupies humid montane forest and forest edges within a very restricted range, making habitat loss and fragmentation particularly important threats to its remaining populations.
help Black-breasted puffleg FAQ
Where does the black-breasted puffleg live?
Its scientific name is Eriocnemis nigrivestis, and it is endemic to northwestern Ecuador. Its remaining habitat is high-Andean cloud forest around Pichincha and the Toisan range, with important records around 3,000 to 3,500 metres. [Bird Conservation International](https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/bird-conservation-international/article/multiscale-habitat-use-analysis-and-interspecific-ecology-of-the-critically-endangered-blackbreasted-puffleg-eriocnemis-nigrivestis/AD8DB0A479098DE1C58A96CA5863FFB7)
What does a black-breasted puffleg look like?
The male has predominantly dark plumage and a black breast, while both sexes have white feather tufts around their legs. It is tiny, measuring around 8 to 9 cm long. [Aves del Ecuador](https://bioweb.bio/faunaweb/avesweb/FichaEspecie/Eriocnemis%20nigrivestis)
What does the black-breasted puffleg eat?
It feeds on flower nectar in high-Andean forest, including plants such as Palicourea huigrensis and Thibaudia floribunda. Protecting flowering cloud-forest habitat is therefore important to its survival. [Center for Biological Diversity](https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/species/birds/black-breasted_puffleg/natural_history.html)
Why is the black-breasted puffleg endangered?
The species is classified as Critically Endangered because its range is tiny and its cloud forest has been damaged by grazing, agriculture, fires, and deforestation. Jocotoco's Yanacocha Reserve on Pichincha is one of the key protected areas for it. [IUCN species profile](https://s3.amazonaws.com/iucnredlist-newcms/staging/species-of-the-day/eriocnemis-nigrivestis/pdfs/original/eriocnemis-nigrivestis.pdf?1466623757=)
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