Bronze-tailed Comet

Polyonymus caroli (Bourcier, 1847)

Trochilidae — Hummingbirds

Bronze-tailed Comet, Polyonymus caroli, is a hummingbird found in central and southern Peru, where it breeds in the Andes. It is the only species in its genus and has no recognised subspecies. The bird is tied to arid and semi-arid montane scrub and small mountain woodland on the Pacific side of the range, from Cajamarca south to Arequipa. It occurs between 2,100 and 3,400 m. Adults show a distinctive tail that is long and deeply forked, with bronzy green central feathers and outer feathers that shift from steel blue or purplish tones to bronze at the tips.

Order: Apodiformes
Family: Trochilidae — Hummingbirds
Breeding range: South America: c, s Peru