The Masked Flowerpiercer (Diglossopis cyanea) has deep rich blue plumage overall, with conspicuous black mask extending across the forehead, sides of head to behind eye, and forwards to the chin. The female resembles male, but her plumage is slightly duller. Flowerpiercers got their name from the fact that they have a sharp hook on the tip of their upper mandible which they use to slice open the base of flowers to get at the nectar. The Masked Flowerpiercer ranges from Colombia/Venezuela south to northern Bolivia, principally at elevations above 2000 m, and it is generally found in humid montane forest and its borders, especially those close to the treeline.
