About Urosticte benjamini (Bourcier, 1851)
The purple-bibbed whitetip, with the scientific name Urosticte benjamini (Bourcier, 1851), measures 8 to 9 cm (3.1 to 3.5 in) long and weighs 3.8 to 4.2 g (0.13 to 0.15 oz). Both sexes share a medium-length straight black bill, a prominent white stripe behind the eye, and glittering green upperparts. Males have a violet lower throat, white plumage below the throat, and a grayish belly marked with green spots. Their tail is dusky bronze; the central tail feathers have wide white tips that form an oval-shaped spot. Females have white underparts that are heavily spotted with green. Their tail is dusky bronze, with purple coloration near the tip and white tips on the outer feathers. Juveniles resemble adult females, but also have brown edges on their head feathers. The purple-bibbed whitetip is distributed on the Pacific slope of the Andes, ranging from Colombia's Chocó Department south into Ecuador as far as Pichincha Province. It inhabits the interior and edges of montane forest, and is generally found at elevations between 700 and 1,600 m (2,300 and 5,200 ft). Within Ecuador, the species is most numerous between 1,200 and 1,400 m (3,900 and 4,600 ft).
