biology

Gorgeted puffleg

Gorgeted puffleg is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Gorgeted puffleg rather than just read about it. In short: The gorgeted puffleg (Eriocnemis isabellae) is a Critically Endangered species of hummingbird in the "brilliants", tribe Heliantheini in subfamily Lesbiinae. It is endemic to Colombia.

Key takeaways

Gorgeted puffleg belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Gorgeted puffleg to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Gorgeted puffleg from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The gorgeted puffleg (Eriocnemis isabellae) is a Critically Endangered species of hummingbird in the "brilliants", tribe Heliantheini in subfamily Lesbiinae. It is endemic to Colombia. It was discovered in 2005 and confirmed as a species new to science in 2007.

Taxonomy and systematics The first known example of the gorgeted puffleg was mist-netted in 2005. Subsequent visits to the area provided more captures and allowed comparison of the birds to specimens of other Eriocnemis pufflegs. The decision that it is a new species was published in 2007. Later that year the South American Classification Committee (SACC) of the American Ornithological Society accepted it for the South American list, and worldwide taxonomic systems soon followed suit. The authors of the 2007 publication suggested that the new species, the black-breasted puffleg (E. nigrivestis), and the glowing puffleg (E. vestita) form a superspecies. The gorgeted puffleg is monotypic.

Description The gorgeted puffleg is 8 to 9 cm (3.1 to 3.5 in) long and weighs about 4.5 g (0.16 oz). It has a short, straight, black bill. Unique among pufflegs, the male has a glittering violet-blue gorget edged with green. The male's upperparts are mostly blackish with golden olive green iridescence; the rump has a green gloss. The moderately forked tail is dark steely blue. The breast and belly are velvety black with green gloss on the sides and the undertail coverts are blue. The leg puffs are white. The eye is dark brown and the legs blackish. The female's upperparts are a lighter bronzy green with a bluish rump and uppertail coverts. The belly is golden green with rufous fringes to the feathers and a turquoise gloss.

Distribution and habitat The gorgeted puffleg is known only from the Serranía del Pinche in the Western Andes of Colombia's Department of Cauca. The habitat is characterized by steep slopes of very humid cloudforest and elfin forest with rocky outcrops and natural clearings. The vegetation is dominated by Andean oak (Quercus humboldtii) with an understory of Ericaceae and several other plant families. In elevation this habitat is found mainly between 2,600 and 2,900 m (8,500 and 9,500 ft).

Behavior

Movement The movement pattern of the gorgeted puffleg is not known, but seasonal shifts in elevation are believed possible.

Feeding The gorgeted puffleg feeds on nectar from flowering shrubs in dense vegetation. It has been recorded feeding at Bejaria resinosa, Cavendishia bracteata, Cinchona pubescens, and Faramea flavicans.

Breeding Nothing is known about the gorgeted puffleg's breeding phenology.

Vocalization As of early 2022, no recordings of gorgeted puffleg vocalizations were available at Xeno-canto or Cornell University's Macaulay Library. Its song is unknown, but a territorial call is described as "a frequently repeated monosyllabic, sharp 'twek'" that is pitched lower than those of others of its genus.

Status The IUCN has assessed the gorgeted puffleg as Critically Endangered. It has an extremely small overall range with an even smaller amount of suitable habitat within it. Its population is estimated at between 250 and 999 mature individuals and decreasing. Its habitat is under continuing pressure from illegal coca cultivation, though its home mountain range is nominally protected as the Serranía del Pinche Protective Forest Reserve.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Gorgeted puffleg

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Gorgeted puffleg claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Gorgeted puffleg before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Gorgeted puffleg ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Gorgeted puffleg

In research: Gorgeted puffleg appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Gorgeted puffleg in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Gorgeted puffleg is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Birds described in 2007, Birds of the Colombian Andes, Critically endangered animals, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Gorgeted puffleg outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Gorgeted puffleg in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Gorgeted puffleg means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Gorgeted puffleg out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Gorgeted puffleg in simple terms?

The gorgeted puffleg (Eriocnemis isabellae) is a Critically Endangered species of hummingbird in the "brilliants", tribe Heliantheini in subfamily Lesbiinae. It is endemic to Colombia.

Why does Gorgeted puffleg matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Gorgeted puffleg?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Gorgeted puffleg.