| Short-tailed Woodstar | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Apodiformes |
| Family: | Trochilidae |
| Genus: | Myrmia Mulsant, 1876 |
| Species: | M. micrura |
| Binomial name | |
| Myrmia micrura Gould, 1854 |
|
The Short-tailed Woodstar (Myrmia micrura) is a species of hummingbird in the Trochilidae family. It is found in Ecuador and Peru. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry shrubland where it is the only hummingbird of the woodstar variety. It usually feeds close to the ground and often is attracted to flowers planted around houses.
At 7 cm (2.7 in), it is one of the smallest South American birds, though the Gorgeted Woodstar and the Little Woodstar are of similar size. This bird is pale shining green with a small whitish patch on the sides of the lower back extending down to the lower flanks. The gorget is glittering violet, bordered at the sides by white malar streaks and below by a white pectoral collar extending onto the sides of the neck. The underparts are all whitish. The tail is very short and black. The female and male plumages are similar but the female has no white on the lower back and is uniform pale buffy below.