Rose throat star hummingbird

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Rose throat star hummingbird
Rose-throated Star Hummingbird illustrated by John Gould and Henry Constantine Richter

Rose-throated Star Hummingbird illustrated by John Gould and Henry Constantine Richter

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Sailor birds (Apodiformes)
Family : Hummingbirds (Trochilidae)
Tribe : Mellisugini
Genre : Star hummingbird ( Doricha )
Type : Rose throat star hummingbird
Scientific name
Doricha eliza
( Lesson & Delattre , 1839)

The rose throated star hummingbird ( Doricha eliza ) or sometimes Elisa hummingbird is a species of bird from the hummingbird family (Trochilidae). The species has only a small range in Mexico and is therefore endemic . In the distribution areas there are again only small populations . The population is classified by the IUCN as "potentially endangered" ( near threatened ).

features

The rose-throated star hummingbird reaches a body length of about 8.9 centimeters. The hummingbird is bronze brown. The male has an iridescent rose-red ring collar. The beak is long and curved. The long fork-shaped tail has black feathers on the outside that turn pale cinnamon-colored on the inside. This combination gives it a spotted expression. The female does not have a colored round collar. Above, the female is bronze. The tail is relatively short and its outer feathers are tan colored. A black band with small spots runs through the feathers near the end of the tail.

Habitat

Distribution area (green) of the rose throated star hummingbird

The rose-throated star hummingbird prefers the undergrowth near the coast. The hummingbird occurs in central Veracruz and in the northern edge of the Yucatán peninsula . The population in Yucatán is found in a narrow strip about one kilometer wide in an ecotone of mangroves and tropical deciduous forest. The bird is comparatively common in the Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve, the Celestún Biosphere Reserve and the Bocas de Dzilám de Bravo Biosphere Reserve . The population in Veracruz is limited to undisturbed, dry deciduous forests and overgrazed habitats up to about 25 kilometers inland.

behavior

The species feeds mainly on morning glories , acanthus and mallow plants . The hummingbird also likes arthropods . In Veracruz, the breeding season is in May. In the Yucatán they nest from August to April. The nest, which usually has two eggs, is cup-shaped. The bird builds them from compost , lichen, and spider webs .

Subspecies

At the moment, no subspecies of the rose-throated star hummingbird are known. The species is thus monotypical .

Etymology and history of research

René Primevère Lesson and Adolphe Delattre described the rose-throated star hummingbird under the name Trochilus eliza . They gave Pas du Taureau between Veracruz and Xalapa as the location . Only later was the species assigned to the genus Doricha . " Doricha " was a Greek hetaera who had a relationship with Charaxos . Ludwig Reichenbach created the new genus in 1854 for the scissor- tailed star hummingbird ( Doricha enicura ). The specific epithet »eliza« honors Eliza Lefèvre, the wife of Amédée Lefèvre (1798–1869).

literature

  • Roger Tory Peterson, Edward L. Chalif: A Field Guide to Mexican Birds: Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador. Houghton Mifflin, Boston 1999, ISBN 978-0395975145 , page 105.
  • Louie Irby Davis: A Field Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Central America. University of Texas Press, Austin 1972, ISBN 0-292-70702-9 , 78.
  • James A. Jobling: Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names . Christopher Helm, London 2010, ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4 .
  • Adolphe Delattre , René Primevère Lesson: Oiseaux-Mouches nouveaux au très rares, decouverts by M. De Lattre dans son voyage en Amérique et décrits . In: Revue Zoologique par La Société Cuvierienne . tape 2 , 1839, p. 13-20 ( online [accessed April 20, 2014]).
  • Heinrich Gottlieb Ludwig Reichenbach: Enumeration of the hummingbirds or trochilids in their true natural relationship, including the key to their systematics . In: Journal of Ornithology . tape 2 (separate issue), 1854, p. 1-24 ( online [accessed April 20, 2014]).

Web links

Commons : Rose throated star hummingbird ( Doricha eliza )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Picture in Flickr Doricha eliza
  2. ↑ Image in Flickr Mexican Sheartail
  3. ^ IOC World Bird List Hummingbirds
  4. ↑ a b René Primevère Lesson u. a., p. 20
  5. ↑ James A. Jobling, p. 139
  6. ↑ Heinrich Gottlieb Ludwig Reichenbach, p. 12