Heliodoxa imperatrix (Gould, 1856)

Common Name and Sexual Dimorphism Note

Heliodoxa imperatrix (Gould, 1856), commonly called the empress brilliant, shows clear size differences between males and females.

Adult Size and Weight

Adult males measure 15 to 17 cm (5.9 to 6.7 in) in length and weigh approximately 9.3 g (0.33 oz), while adult females are 12 to 13.5 cm (4.7 to 5.3 in) long and weigh around 8.3 g (0.29 oz).

Adult Male Head and Breast Coloration

For adult males, the forehead, face, and breast are mostly glittering dark green, with a square, glittering pale violet patch in the center of the throat.

Adult Male Upperparts Coloration

The crown and nape are dark green, and the rest of the upperparts are dark bronzy green.

Adult Male Belly Coloration

The belly is glittering golden green.

Adult Male Tail Structure and Coloration

The central tail feathers are dark bronze; the other tail feathers are longer, black, and have a bronze gloss.

Adult Female Upperparts Coloration

For adult females, the upperparts are bronzy green.

Adult Female Underparts Coloration

The center of the throat and breast are grayish with extensive bronzy green flecking, the flanks are solid bronzy green, and the belly is golden green.

Adult Female Tail Coloration

The central tail feathers are bronzy green, and the other tail feathers are dull black with a bronze gloss.

Immature Male Plumage

Immature males have dull dark bronzy green on the head, throat, and breast, bright buff on the chin and sides of the throat, and a duller, more bronzy green belly than adult individuals.

Immature Female Plumage

Immature females also have a buffy chin, and their breast green feathers are duller than an adult female's, with buffy fringes.

Geographic Distribution

The empress brilliant is distributed along the Pacific slope of the Andes, from Colombia's Chocó Department south into Ecuador, reaching as far as Ecuador's Pichincha Province.

Habitat Types

It lives in a range of very wet habitats, including foothill forest, cloudforest interior and edges, and mature secondary forest.

Elevation Range

It occurs at elevations between 400 and 2,000 m (1,300 to 6,600 ft).