Habitat
Subtropical and tropical moist montane forest, subtropical and tropical high altitude shrubland. From 1,600 - 3,300 m, occasionally down to 1,300 m.
White-sided Flowerpiercer (Diglossa albilatera) [XC242534]
by Niels Krabbe from Pichincha: Tandayapa ridge 3 km SSW Tandayapa, Ecuador (song)
White-sided Flowerpiercer (Diglossa albilatera) [XC222391]
by Niels Krabbe from El Morro - Aricagua road, Merida, Venezuela (song)
Subspecies
Genus has sometimes been placed in Coerebidae or Parulidae or even, because of an apparent close relationship to Acanthidops, in Emberizidae. Molecular phylogenies indicate that it is most closely related to Xenodacnis and to Acanthidops, Haplospiza and Catamenia (the last three genera currently placed in Emberizidae), and that all clearly belong in present family. Members of this clade may also be closely related to the Oreomanes / Conirostrum clade. Is closely allied to Venezuelan Flowerpiercer (Diglossa venezuelensis).
The following 4 subspecies are recognised:
federalis Hellmayr, 1922 - Coastal cordillera of northern Venezuela (from Aragua east to Distrito Federal and Vargas, probably also adjacent Miranda).
albilatera Lafresnaye, 1843 - Sierra de Perijá (Colombia-Venezuela border), Andes of Venezuela (from Lara south to Táchira), and Colombia in Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and all three ranges of Andes south to southern Ecuador (except extreme south-west) and probably to northern Peru (Cajamarca).
schistacea Chapman, 1925 - Extreme south-western Ecuador and north-western Peru west of R Marañón.
affinis Zimmer, JT, 1942 - Peru from R Utcubamba watershed in Amazonas (east of R Marañón) and on western slope in Ayacucho south to north-western Cuzco.
BirdLife International Species Factsheet