Humboldt sapphire hummingbird
| Humboldt sapphire hummingbird | ||||||||||
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Humboldt sapphire hummingbird (♀ above, ♂ below), depiction by John Gould |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Hylocharis humboldtii | ||||||||||
| ( Bourcier & Mulsant , 1852) |
The Humboldt sapphire hummingbird ( Hylocharis humboldtii ) or sometimes also Humboldt sapphire is a species of bird from the hummingbird family (Trochilidae). The species occurs in the South American countries Colombia and Ecuador as well as in the Central American country Panama . The IUCN assesses the population as Least Concern .
features
The Humboldt sapphire hummingbird reaches a body length of around 9 centimeters. The straight, pointed beak becomes about 18 millimeters long, with the lower bill being reddish with a black tip. The male's face mask and chin are shiny blue, while the parting is colored green-blue. Postocular (behind the eyes) there is a distinctive white dot. The top, throat and chest are glittering green, which turns into a dark metallic green on the flanks. The color is white from the belly to the rump. The tail is dark green. The female is shimmering green on the upper side, its underside is white with green spots on the neck and chest. The green tail has white speckles on the outer control feathers.
distribution and habitat
The species inhabits mangrove forests and adjacent areas near the Pacific coast. It is very rare in Panama and has only been observed in the extreme southwest of the Darién province . In Colombia they can be found on the entire Pacific coast to the southwestern part of the Departamento de Nariño . In Ecuador it is extremely rare in the northwest in the Esmeraldas province .
behavior
The birds fly to the flowers of the Pelliciera rhizophorae, which belongs to the Tetrameristaceae family . During courtship, up to four males sit on a branch at heights between 3 and 6 meters and sing.
Danger
The destruction of the Pacific mangrove forests by cutting firewood and mining coal poses a potential risk to this species. Another problem is the construction of ponds for breeding shrimp, which also threatens the mangrove ecosystem. Otherwise, little is known about their behavior.
Subspecies
No subspecies of the Humboldt sapphire hummingbird are known at the moment. He is considered monotypical .
Etymology and history of research
Jules Bourcier and Étienne Mulsant originally described the hummingbird under the name Trochilus humboldtii . Only later was it added to the genus Hylocharis Boie , in 1831. Occasionally it is found in the literature as a subspecies of the blue-headed sapphire ( Hylocharis grayi humboldtii ). The South American Classification Committee regards H. humboldtii as a separate species and suspects a mistake in the merging of both species by James Lee Peters .
The word Hylocharis is made up of the Greek words "hyle" for "forest landscape" and "charis" for "grace, beauty". The specific epithet humboldtii was awarded in honor of Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859).
literature
- Robert S. Ridgely , Paul J. Greenfield: Birds of Ecuador Field Guide . tape 1 . Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New Jersey 2001, ISBN 0-8014-8720-X .
- Robert S. Ridgely, Paul J. Greenfield: Birds of Ecuador Field Guide . tape 2 . Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New Jersey 2001, ISBN 0-8014-8721-8 .
- Robert S. Ridgely, John A. Gwynne: A Guide to the Birds of Panama: With Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Honduras . Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey 1989, ISBN 0-691-02512-6 .
- Steven L. Hilty , William L. Brown: A Guide to the Birds of Colombia . Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey 1986, ISBN 0-691-08372-X .
- Frank Gary Stiles: Notas taxonómicas sobre aves colombianas. I. El rango taxonómico de Hylocharis humboldtii. (Trochilidae) . In: Ornitología Colombiana . tape 1 , 2003, p. 68–70 ( ornitologiacolombiana.org [PDF; 532 kB ; accessed on July 18, 2011]).
- James A. Jobling: A Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names . Oxford University Press, Oxford 1991, ISBN 0-19-854634-3 .
- Jules Bourcier, Étienne Mulsant: Description of quelques nouvelles espèces d'oiseaux-mouches . In: Annales des sciences physiques et naturelles, d'agriculture et d'industrie, series 2 . tape 4 , 1852, p. 139-144 ( online [accessed July 18, 2011]).
Web links
- Amazilia humboldtii inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2011.1. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2009. Retrieved July 23, 2011 ..
- BirdLife International: Species Factsheet - Humboldt's Sapphire ( Amazilia humboldtii ) . Retrieved July 23, 2011.
- Videos, photos and sound recordings of Blue-headed Sapphire (Hylocharis grayi) here Hylocharis grayi humboldtii in the Internet Bird Collection
- Humboldt sapphire hummingbird ( Hylocharis humboldtii ) from Avibase; Retrieved January 10, 2012.
- Hylocharis humboldtii in the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS)
- xeno-canto: Sound recordings - Humboldt's Sapphire ( Hylocharis humboldtii )
Individual evidence
- ↑ Frank Gary Stiles, p. 68.
- ^ Robert S. Ridgely, et al. (Volume 2), p. 261.
- ^ Robert S. Ridgely, John A. Gwynne, p. 214.
- ↑ Steven L. Hilty et al., P. 269.
- ↑ Robert S. Ridgely, et al. (Volume 1), p. 353.
- ^ Frank Gary Stiles, p. 69.
- ^ Frank Gary Stiles, p. 70.
- ^ IOC World Bird List Hummingbirds
- ^ Jules Bourcier al, p. 142.
- ↑ SACC (# 88) to South American Check-list Committee Split Hylocharis grayi into two species ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (English)
- ↑ James A. Jobling, p. 111.
- ^ Jules Bourcier al, p. 143.
