We spent part of the morning and early afternoon of January 8, 2012, birding the Huacarpay Lakes area which is located in the central highlands of Peru. This wetland area houses a variety of high elevation aquatic birds (most seen from a distance) and is a thirty minute drive from Cuzco that traverses a road through high altitude shrubland habitat. A Sparkling Violetear, Colibri coruscans, was busy feeding on some local flora when I took this photograph. Glittering, purple-colored auricular patches, a bluish belly, highlight this greenish hummingbird. The auricular patches can be poofed out and resemble 'ears'. The Sparkling Violetear is larger than the similar Green Violetear which lacks a purplish-colored chin, bluish-purple colored belly, and is a duller green. Temperatures were in the upper 60's on this overcast afternoon with intermittent rain.