Blue-bearded helmetcrest

The blue-bearded helmetcrest (Oxypogon cyanolaemus) is a species of hummingbird endemic to the Santa Marta Mountains in northeastern Colombia. It has elongated purply blue throated feathers, which assemble in the form of a beard and a prominent white crest. The white frame from the face extends from the rear of the head, around the ear coverts and down to the breast side

Blue-bearded helmetcrest
A blue-bearded helmetcrest photographed by Carole Turek of Hummingbird Spot in February 2020

Critically Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Apodiformes
Family: Trochilidae
Genus: Oxypogon
Species:
O. cyanolaemus
Binomial name
Oxypogon cyanolaemus
(Salvin & Godman, 1880)
Illustration of blue-bearded helmetcrest (right) and Santa Marta sabrewing (left)

It is an extremely rare hummingbird which was known only from 62 museum specimens with the most recent specimen taken since 1946. Surveys during 1999-2003 failed to detect the species. A brief survey in February 2007 and December 2011 failed to detect the species but survey efforts were never sufficiently thorough to list this species as Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct).[1] In March 2015, the blue-bearded helmetcrest was rediscovered by researchers from the foundation ProAves while documenting fires set by local farmers that now threaten the species.[2]

References
  1. BirdLife International. (2016). Oxypogon cyanolaemus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22726798A94931971.en
  2. ProAves "Spectacular Lost Hummingbird Rediscovered after 69 years amid Rampant Fires across the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombia". Retrieved 18 March 2015.


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