Goldthroat sun nymph
| Goldthroat sun nymph | ||||||||||
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Heliangelus micraster painted by John Gould and William Matthew Hart |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Heliangelus micraster | ||||||||||
| Gould , 1872 |
The golden-throated sun nymph ( Heliangelus micraster ) or sometimes also dwarf tourmaline sun nymph is a species of bird from the hummingbird family (Trochilidae). The species has a large range that covers about 20,000 square kilometers in the South American countries of Ecuador and Peru . The IUCN assesses the population as Least Concern .
features
The male golden-throated sun nymph reaches a body length of around 11 centimeters, while the female is slightly smaller at around 9.5 to 10 centimeters. The straight, black beak becomes about 15 millimeters long. The top is sparkling green. The parting stands out from this with a radiant, lighter green. Postocular (behind the eyes) the hummingbird has a rather inconspicuous white spot. The crissum is conspicuously white. The black-blue tail is fork-shaped. The central control springs are bronze green. The male's throat glows a fiery orange-red. The female's throat is similar, just not as intensely colored. In the female there is often a mixture of white, green and orange on the upper part of the neck. The belly is gray in both sexes in contrast to the lower rump.
Habitat
The bird's preferred habitat is subtropical to tropical moist mountain forest. It is seldom seen in the pastureland. The hummingbird is mainly found at altitudes between 2200 and 3000 meters. In Peru you can find it in the Andes north and west of the Marañón River. In Ecuador it is native to the Cordillera del Cóndor , Cordillera del Zapote-Najda and the Sangay National Park.
behavior
When the bird sits on the branch, it likes to raise its wings. It prefers to cling to plants to eat and spread its wings. He likes to peck insects out of the branches. Picking out insects can also be observed while hovering .
Subspecies
Two subspecies of the species are known so far:
- Heliangelus micraster cutervensis ( Simon , 1921) - The subspecies is common in northwestern Peru.
- Heliangelus micraster micraster Gould , 1872 - The nominate form occurs in southeast Ecuador and northern Peru.
Etymology and history of research
John Gould described the species under the current name Heliangelus micraster . The type specimen was collected in San Lucas in the province of Loja . "Heliangelus" is derived from the Greek words "hēlios ἥλιος " for "sun" and "angelos ἄγγελος " for "angel, messenger, messenger". The specific epithet »micraster« is a Greek structure from » mikros μικρος « for »small« and »astēr αστηρ « for »star«. »Cutervensis« refers to the province of Cutervo in the Cajamarca region , the area in which Jan Sztolcman collected the type specimen.
literature
- Thomas Scott Schulenberg , Douglas Forrester Stotz , Daniel Franklin Lane, John Patton O'Neill , Theodore Albert Parker III : Birds of Peru . Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey 2007, ISBN 978-0-7136-8673-9 .
- Robert S. Ridgely , Paul J. Greenfield: Birds of Ecuador Field Guide. Volume 1, Cornell University Press, 2001, p. 373, ISBN 978-0-8014-8720-0 .
- Robert S. Ridgely, Paul J. Greenfield: Birds of Ecuador Field Guide , Vol. 2, Cornell University Press, 2001, p. 279, ISBN 978-0-8014-8721-7
- James A. Jobling: Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names . Christopher Helm, London 2010, ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4 .
- John Gould: Description of two new species of Humming Birds . In: Annals and Magazine of Natural history including Zoology, Botany, and Geology (= 4 ). tape 9 , 1872, p. 195–196 ( online [accessed July 15, 2014]).
- Eugène Simon: Histoire naturelle des Trochilidae (synopsis et catalog) . L. Mulo, Paris 1921 ( online [accessed July 15, 2014]).
Web links
- Heliangelus micraster inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014.1. Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
- BirdLife International: Species Factsheet - Little Sunangel ( Heliangelus micraster ) . Retrieved July 15, 2014.
- Videos, photos and sound recordings for Little Sunangel (Heliangelus micraster) in the Internet Bird Collection
- Golden-throated sun nymph ( Heliangelus micraster ) at Avibase; accessed on July 15, 2014.
- Heliangelus micraster in the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). Retrieved July 15, 2014.
- xeno-canto: Sound recordings - Flame-throated Sunangel ( Heliangelus micraster )