Turquoise-throated Puffleg Eriocnemis godini Scientific name definitions

Critically endangered and possibly extinct, the Turquoise-throated Puffleg is a very poorly known species. It looks very similar to the Glowing Puffleg (Eriocnemis vestitus) and prefers nectar, but almost nothing is known about its life history. Only one, unconfirmed sighting exists since the 19th century. If this species still persists, there are likely very few individuals remaining.

NW Ecuador (N Pichincha); perhaps also SW Colombia. Possibly extinct.

The only specimen with locality data was collected in Guayllabamba in NW Ecuador at an elevation between 2100 and 2300 m, an area of dry ravines with an original habitat of montane dry forest and scrub, now reduced to remnants (1 Freile, J. F., and T. Santander (2005). Áreas importantes para la conservación de las aves en Ecuador. BirdLife International Close ).

Unknown.

CRITICALLY ENDANGERED (POSSIBLY EXTINCT). CITES II. Restricted-range species: present in Chocó EBA. Little known and might even be extinct. Evidence of species amounts to four specimens from NW Ecuador and two "Bogotá" trade skins possibly obtained in SW Colombia. Only the type specimen, collected in 1850, carries locality information (2 Collar, N. J., L. P. Gonzaga, N. Krabbe, A. Madroño, L. G. Naranjo, T. A. Parker, and D. C. Wege (1992). Threatened Birds of the Americas. The ICBP/IUCN Red Data Book. Part 2. 3rd Edition. ICBP, Cambridge, UK. Close ). The species has not been recorded in more than 150 years since then (1 Freile, J. F., and T. Santander (2005). Áreas importantes para la conservación de las aves en Ecuador. BirdLife International Close , 3 Cadena-Ortiz, H., Varela, S., Bahamonde-Vinueza, D., Freile, J.F. and Bonaccorso, E. (2015). Birds of Bosque Protector Jerusalem, Guayllabamba Valley, Ecuador. Check List. 11(5): 1770. Close ) apart from one unconfirmed sighting from Chillo Valley near Quito in 1976 (2 Collar, N. J., L. P. Gonzaga, N. Krabbe, A. Madroño, L. G. Naranjo, T. A. Parker, and D. C. Wege (1992). Threatened Birds of the Americas. The ICBP/IUCN Red Data Book. Part 2. 3rd Edition. ICBP, Cambridge, UK. Close ). Targeted searches at several sites in 1980 (2 Collar, N. J., L. P. Gonzaga, N. Krabbe, A. Madroño, L. G. Naranjo, T. A. Parker, and D. C. Wege (1992). Threatened Birds of the Americas. The ICBP/IUCN Red Data Book. Part 2. 3rd Edition. ICBP, Cambridge, UK. Close ) and 2004–2005 (1 Freile, J. F., and T. Santander (2005). Áreas importantes para la conservación de las aves en Ecuador. BirdLife International Close , 3 Cadena-Ortiz, H., Varela, S., Bahamonde-Vinueza, D., Freile, J.F. and Bonaccorso, E. (2015). Birds of Bosque Protector Jerusalem, Guayllabamba Valley, Ecuador. Check List. 11(5): 1770. Close ) failed to relocate the bird. Due to lack of data, habitat requirements are hardly known; however, the only available locality data suggest occurrence in steep arid valleys. The species undoubtedly inhabits very a small range, within which the natural vegetation has almost entirely been destroyed; only in a few places can remnants of apparently natural habitat still be found in steep ravines on upper R Guayllabamba, as well as around Pulalahua and on R Blanco. As the exact distribution of the species is uncertain, it is possible that it still exists in small numbers in secluded areas and has been overlooked due to inaccessibility of its habitat. The area around the type locality where the species is most likely to occur is not within a protected area, although the Jerusalem Protective Forest (IUCN Cat. unknown; 1110 ha) and Quito Zoo (IUCN Cat. unknown; 12 ha) preserve some remaining habitat (3 Cadena-Ortiz, H., Varela, S., Bahamonde-Vinueza, D., Freile, J.F. and Bonaccorso, E. (2015). Birds of Bosque Protector Jerusalem, Guayllabamba Valley, Ecuador. Check List. 11(5): 1770. Close ). A concerted effort should be made to find the species, determine its conservation status and protect remaining habitat.