Black-thighed puffleg

The black-thighed puffleg is monotypic though at one time it was thought to have two subspecies.[5]

The black-thighed puffleg is about 10 cm (3.9 in) long. It has a straight blackish bill. Males are mostly shining golden green overall, sometimes with black highlights, and has glittering malachite green upper- and undertail coverts. Their leg puffs are black and the tail is forked and black. Females are similar but have white underparts with green spots, and their leg puffs are a mix of black and grayish white. The female also has a blue tinge to the forehead. Juveniles resemble females.[5]

The black-thighed puffleg is found in the Central Andes of Colombia from Tolima Department and south to Imbabura Province in northwestern Ecuador. It inhabits bushy pastures and the edges of humid forest, and in Colombia has also been recorded in shrubby ravines. It prefers somewhat open landscapes. In elevation it ranges from 2,500 to 3,600 m (8,200 to 11,800 ft) and is most common above 2,900 m (9,500 ft).[5]

The IUCN has assessed the black-thighed puffleg as Near Threatened. It has a moderately small range; its population size is not known and believed to be decreasing due to habitat loss.[1] It is considered uncommon to locally common, and "[r]eadily takes to man-made habitats like pastures and gardens".[5]