Black-thighed Puffleg vs Emerald-bellied Puffleg

Eriocnemis derbyi compared with Eriocnemis aline

Key Differences

Black-thighed Puffleg is Near Threatened while Emerald-bellied Puffleg is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Black-thighed Puffleg	Emerald-bellied Puffleg
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Aves (Birds)	Aves (Birds)
Order same	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)
Family same	Trochilidae	Trochilidae
Genus same	Eriocnemis	Eriocnemis
Species	Eriocnemis derbyi	Eriocnemis aline

Evolutionary Relationship

Black-thighed Puffleg and Emerald-bellied Puffleg share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Eriocnemis.

View Genus: Eriocnemis

Conservation Status

Black-thighed Puffleg

NT — Near Threatened

Emerald-bellied Puffleg

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Black-thighed Puffleg	Emerald-bellied Puffleg
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Black-thighed Puffleg

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, and Norway. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Emerald-bellied Puffleg

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Colombia and Ecuador.

Black-thighed Puffleg

An Andean puffleg hummingbird named for the males' distinctive velvety black thighs contrasting with the characteristic white leg feather puffs, black-thighed pufflegs inhabit humid montane forest and forest edges in Ecuador and Colombia at elevations of 1,500–3,500 meters. Males display glittering green plumage with a violet-blue tail. Listed as Near Threatened due to deforestation of the Andean cloud forest, with populations declining as the specialized high-altitude forest habitat is cleared for agriculture.