Although nest locations and construction materials were similar to what has been reported before for hummingbirds in these genera, we identified the plants of these nests' microhabitats, as well as the families and genera of liverworts, mosses, and others used as nest construction materials. Nesting sites for both species were in banks where they built 2-layered cup nests. The single Glowing Puffleg nest was found in October, adults with enlarged gonads in May and October, and a chick mortality event (possibly due to frost) in November. We found 2 Tyrian Metaltail nests in February and May, and adults with enlarged gonads in August. These data were obtained during multi-taxa collection expeditions in the high-elevation region of the Department of Boyacá, Colombia. We present detailed information on the dates, nesting locations, construction materials, measurements of nests and eggs, and gonad development of adult specimens to augment the scant reproductive data available of 2 widely distributed highland hummingbirds, the Tyrian Metaltail ( Metallura tyrianthina) and the Glowing Puffleg ( Eriocnemis vestita). Little has been written about breeding biology of hummingbirds at the Northern Andes Eastern Cordillera in Colombia. The reproductive biology of tropical hummingbirds has been documented and studied in only a small fraction of species relative to the great diversity of this group.
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