| Grey-bellied Comet | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Apodiformes |
| Family: | Trochilidae |
| Genus: | Taphrolesbia Simon, 1918 |
| Species: | T. griseiventris |
| Binomial name | |
| Taphrolesbia griseiventris Taczanowski, 1883 |
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The Grey-bellied Comet (Taphrolesbia griseiventris) is a species of hummingbird in the Trochilidae family. It is found only in Peru. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland and rural gardens. It is threatened by habitat loss.
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The Grey-bellied Comet lives within a very small habitat, which contributes to its currently being endangered. The bird has been found living in five separate, but close sites in north central Peru in the Andes mountains. The Grey-bellied Comet inhabits areas of steep, rocky, and dry slopes with some vegetation. The bird lives at mainly altitudes of 2,750 to 3,170 metres above sea level.
The Grey-bellied Comet plays a similar role as the hummingbird in pollinating woody shrubs and trees.
Current population estimates for the Grey-bellied Comet are around 413 to 826 individual birds. Habitat modification, and loss are the largest contributing factor to the species declining population. Human modification to the habitat with agriculture is fragmenting and decreasing the already small portion of land the bird inhabits.