Black-thighed Puffleg vs White-tipped Swift

Eriocnemis derbyi compared with Aeronautes montivagus

Key Differences

• Black-thighed Puffleg is Near Threatened while White-tipped Swift is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Black-thighed Puffleg	White-tipped Swift
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	Trochilidae	Apodidae
Genus	Eriocnemis	Aeronautes
Species	Eriocnemis derbyi	Aeronautes montivagus

Evolutionary Relationship

Black-thighed Puffleg and White-tipped Swift share a common ancestor at the Order level: Apodiformes. (Apodiformes)

Conservation Status

Black-thighed Puffleg

NT — Near Threatened

White-tipped Swift

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Black-thighed Puffleg	White-tipped Swift
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.

White-tipped Swift

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

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.

White-tipped Swift

White-tipped Swift (Aeronautes montivagus) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇨🇴 Colombia 🇪🇨 Ecuador 🇳🇴 Norway