Black-breasted hillstar


The black-breasted hillstar is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is found in scrub at altitudes of in the Andes of central Peru. Unlike the other hillstars, the tail, chest and belly of the male black-breasted hillstar are almost entirely black. The females are more bronze and grey-ish brown. This species shares a lot of common traits with the Andean hillstar but does not have a white base on its tail.
Nests tend to be constructed around February–March below a rocky surface, contrast to plant based nests of most hummingbirds. They have been known to take shelter in house roofs too as a substitute for rocks. Its diet consists of nectar from plants such as the Chuquiragua spinosa but it can also hunt for arthropods.
Its voice is a quick squeaky twittering during chase but is not well known otherwise.