FIRST DESCRIPTION OF THE NEST, EGGS AND NESTLINGS OF BLACK-THIGHED PUFFLEG (ERIOCNEMIS DERBYI)

Abstract

The Black-thighed Puffleg (Eriocnemis derbyi) is endemic to the Northern Central Andes of South America. The species is found in montane forests up to the edge of the treeline from the Central Andes of Colombia to the Andes of northern Ecuador. The reproductive biology of this species is essentially unknown. Here, we describe the nest, eggs and nestlings of E. derbyi. The nest was built atop a fern frond in a dense strip of riparian vegetation, with a heavy load of moss and bromeliads, near a creek, next to a rocky wall. It was cup-shaped and made mainly with moss. The nest contained two white eggs, both of which hatched but were later found dead without traces of depredation. This report provides the first detailed data on the breeding biology of E. derbyi