Gray-tailed nymph
| Gray-tailed nymph | ||||||||||||
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Gray-tailed nymph ♂ |
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| Lampornis cinereicauda | ||||||||||||
| ( Lawrence , 1867) |
The gray- tailed nymph ( Lampornis cinereicauda ) is a species of bird in the hummingbird family (Trochilidae) that is endemic to Costa Rica . The IUCN assesses the population as Least Concern . The species is considered to be monotypical .
features
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The gray-tailed nymph reaches a body length of about 10 to 11.5 cm with a weight of the males from about 5.7 to 6.2 g and the females from about 4.7 to 5.1 g. The straight, medium-long beak is black. The male has a turquoise front skull. The ring collar is blue with some blue and purple feathers at the bottom. A conspicuous white line behind the eyes adorns the face. The rest of the top is light bronze green. The throat is white, the chest is dull dark green. The belly is gray, the notched tail ash gray and darker at the tip. The female lacks the bluish tint of the skull and the white throat collar. The green areas appear more matt and have a slightly more bronze tint. The underside is cinnamon colored. The tail is matt bronze-green with a blue-black band and white lateral tips on the control feathers . The first collar feathers of male juveniles are white to yellow-brown, sometimes with a slight purple tint. The young female has rust-colored hems on the feathers on the top of the head and the ear covers.
Behavior and nutrition
The gray-tailed nymph probably gets its nectar from the same plants as the white-throated nymph ( Lampornis castaneoventris ( Gould , 1851)). In particular, the male defends his territory around flowers such as the genera Satyria and Cavendishia, which belong to the heather family, as well as bromeliads and undergrowth at the forest edges or gaps such as Centropogon and Alloplectus against other birds. At higher altitudes, the species is subordinate to the even more aggressive fire-throated hummingbird ( Panterpe insignis Cabanis & Heine , 1860).
Reproduction
The breeding season of the gray-tailed nymph in Costa Rica is from October to April, so it ranges from the rainy season to the early dry season . The compact, chalice-shaped nest consists of pale or brown plant waste, fine fibers, tree fern scales, twigs of fine liverwort and cobwebs. The outside is more or less heavily decorated with pieces of moss and lichen. The nest is placed one to three meters above the ground in the undergrowth in shady forests. Often these can be found on the side of paths or in gaps in the forest. A clutch consists of two white eggs. The incubation period is 17 to 18 days. The nestlings fledge after 22 to 23 days.
Vocalizations
Their singing is a mixture of babbling and bubbly tones. The sounds include repeated, somewhat nasal or squeaky pipipick tones, which occasionally sound like a rattling sequence of pe-pe-prrrrr sounds or a lively rolling tssrrt .
distribution and habitat
The gray-tailed nymph prefers colder forest mountains, especially with oak stands . It usually occurs at altitudes between 1850 and 3000 meters. In areas where it occurs it is often less than 2000 meters through the purple-throated nymph ( Lampornis calolaemus ( Salvin , 1865)) replaced. You can usually see them in the treetops and on the edges of mountain forests. The female is more likely to breed in the undergrowth. At forest edges, semi-open areas and adjacent secondary vegetation or semi-open cultivation areas, both sexes can be found in the Straten at the height of the bushes.
migration
The gray-tailed nymph occasionally migrates down to altitudes between 1200 and 1500 meters after breeding.
Etymology and history of research
The gray- tailed nymph was first described in 1867 by George Newbold Lawrence under the scientific name of Oreopyra cinereicauda . The type specimen was collected by a Mr. Garsia in Costa Rica. It was William Swainson who introduced the new genus Lampornis in 1827 . This name is derived from the Greek words »lampás, λαμπάς « for »torch, lamp« and »ornis, όρνις « for »bird«. The species name "cinereicauda" is a Latin word formation from "cinereus" for "ash gray" and "cauda" for "tail".
literature
- Josep del Hoyo , Nigel James Collar , Guy Maxwell Kirwan , Peter Boesman in: Josep del Hoyo, Andrew Elliott, Jordi Sargatal , David Andrew Christie, Eduardo de Juana: Gray-tailed Mountain-gem (Lampornis cinereicauda). In: Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive . Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.
- James A. Jobling: Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names . Christopher Helm, London 2010, ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4 .
- George Newbold Lawrence: Description of New Species of Trochilidae . In: Annals of Lyceum of Natural History of New York . tape 8 , no. 46 , 1867, pp. 483-485 ( biodiversitylibrary.org ).
- William Swainson: A Synopsis of the Birds discovered in Mexico by W. Bullock, FLS and HS, and Mr. William Bullock, jun. In: The Philosophical magazine: or Annals of chemistry, mathematics, astronomy, natural history and general science . tape 1 , no. 85 , 1827, pp. 433-442 ( biodiversitylibrary.org ).
Web links
- Lampornis cinereicauda inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018.2. Listed by: BirdLife International, 2016. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
- BirdLife International: Species Factsheet - Gray-tailed Mountain-gem ( Lampornis cinereicauda ) . Retrieved April 21, 2019.
- Videos, photos and sound recordings of Gray-tailed Mountain-gem (Lampornis cinereicauda) in the Internet Bird Collection
- Gray- tailed nymph ( Lampornis cinereicauda ) at Avibase; accessed on April 21, 2019.
- Lampornis cinereicauda in the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). Retrieved on 2019-04-21.
- xeno-canto: Sound recordings - Gray- tailed nymph ( Lampornis cinereicauda )
- Gray-tailed mountain-gem (Lampornis cinereicauda) in the Encyclopedia of Life . Retrieved April 21, 2019.
Individual evidence
Remarks
- ↑ Lawrence assigned the red-throated nymph ( Lampornis amethystinus ( Swainson , 1827)) to the genus.