Breeding

There is little information on the breeding biology of Sapphire-vented Puffleg. Schuchmann (1988) described a nest encountered in February in Ecuador, at 3500 m. The nest was located on an overgrown slope (a steep roadbank), "concealed by thick layers of grass. It was attached at one side to a thin twig, forming a more or less hanging construction. The nest consisted of a mass of moss, light greenish lichen and small pieces of fern leaves, held together by spider webs and soft parts of plumose pappus from a composite flower. The inner cup was not lined with fine plant material or animal hair typical of some other nests of high-altitude trochilids" (Schuchmann 1988). Dimensions of this nest were inner diameter 3.8 cm, outer diameter 6.7 cm, depth of cup 2.9 cm, total depth 8.0 cm. The nest contained two elliptical, white, unmarked eggs, measuring 16.0 x 9.7 mm and 15.7 x 10.0 mm (Schuchmann 1988).