At roughly three inches long, the tiny White-Bellied Woodstar is about the size of a large insect. It’s part of a group of similarly small-sized hummingbirds that includes the Chilean Woodstar and the vulnerable Esmeraldas Woodstar, a species found only in Ecuador.
This hummingbird is easily identified by its namesake white belly patch, along with large white flank patches and a white stripe behind the eye. These ID features are common to both sexes, which otherwise look dissimilar. As with other hummingbird species, the male White-Bellied Woodstar is the more colorful, with dark bluish-green upperparts accented by a shining reddish-violet gorget (throat patch).
Despite its tiny size, the White-bellied Woodstar is fairly common and easy to spot within its range. Where are the best places to see one?
Read on to find out more: https://abcbirds.org/bird/white-bellied-woodstar/