Black-thighed Puffleg vs Turquoise-throated Puffleg

Eriocnemis derbyi compared with Eriocnemis godini

Key Differences

• Black-thighed Puffleg is Near Threatened while Turquoise-throated Puffleg is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Black-thighed Puffleg	Turquoise-throated Puffleg
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (cordados)	Chordata (cordados)
Class same	Aves (ave)	Aves (ave)
Order same	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)
Family same	Trochilidae	Trochilidae
Genus same	Eriocnemis	Eriocnemis
Species	Eriocnemis derbyi	Eriocnemis godini

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Black-thighed Puffleg

NT — Near Threatened

Turquoise-throated Puffleg

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Black-thighed Puffleg	Turquoise-throated 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.

Turquoise-throated Puffleg

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, flooded grasslands and savannas, and montane grasslands and shrublands, among 4 distinct biome types within the Neotropic biogeographic realm.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, and Norway. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Black-thighed Puffleg

Um beija-flor puffleg andino que recebe seu nome pelas coxas pretas aveludadas dos machos, que contrastam com os característicos tufos brancos de penas nas patas, os puffleg-de-coxa-preta habitam florestas montanas úmidas e bordas de floresta no Equador e na Colômbia em altitudes de 1.500 a 3.500 metros. Os machos exibem plumagem verde brilhante com cauda violeta-azul. Classificado como Quase Ameaçado devido ao desmatamento da floresta nublada andina, com populações em declínio à medida que o habitat especializado de alta altitude é desmatado para uso agrícola.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇨🇴 Colombia 🇪🇨 Ecuador 🇳🇴 Norway