Today's Bird: The Sparkling Violetear

Today's bird is one of many hummingbirds I saw while in South America--the Sparkling Violetear.  My guide said that most of the hummingbirds were named by Europeans, who didn't really know what hummingbirds were (apparently there aren't really any in Europe).  So, they gave them names that kind of described what they looked like.  This one is one of the ones that they did a pretty good job on.  It does, in fact, sparkle and has a violet-blue patch over the ear area.  So, well done conquistadors--you named this hummingbird well.  Everything else...not so much. 

I took this picture on June 16, 2012 at Lake Huacarpay, a highland lake outside of Cusco, Peru.