Green-Tailed Trainbearer
Lesbia nuna

The green-tailed trainbearer is one of the two species of the genus Lesbia, in the Trochilidae family. This species is present across the Andes, including northern Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and central/western Bolivia. There are claims of sightings in Venezuela, but they have been put in doubt.

This bird is mostly green and has a rather long tail. Males are between 15cm and 17cm in length, up to 13cm of which come from the tail’s length. Females’ tails are considerably shorter, only measuring between 4cm and 6cm of a total of about 11cm. They have a bright, shiny, green back and white underside with dots of the same color. Males have similar colors, but with green on more of the body and less white. They also have dark throats. In both sexes, the tail feathers are dark with some green highlights and the wingtips are also dark.

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