Bearded mountaineer
The bearded mountaineer is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae.
It is found only in Peru.
Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland.
The ornithologist John Gould described the species in 1869, from a specimen collected by Henry Whitely at Tinta District, and placed it in its own genus Oreonympha. He recognised a kinship with Oxypogon and Ramphomicron. A study of mitochondrial DNA of hummingbirds shows it to be most closely related to the bearded helmetcrest and the rufous-capped thornbill. The other member of the genus Chalcostigma lay outside the group, suggesting the genus might need revising in the future. Two subspecies are recognised - the more widespread nominate subspecies nobilis has a blue eyebrow, while the more restricted albolimbata has white.
Measuring in length, it is a large hummingbird with a long tail and a long bill. The underparts of both sexes are white, while the tail is white underneath with black feather tips. The male has a green and purple throat. The upper parts are a bronze-sheened brown and the legs and bill are black.
The species is endemic to Peru, where it is found in high-altitude valleys in the south-central Andes, from. It lives in scrubland, and often visits tobacco plants along roadsides.
