Short-hooded elf
| Short-hooded elf | ||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Lophornis brachylophus | ||||||||||
| RT Moore , 1949 |
The short- hooded elf ( Lophornis brachylophus ) is a species of hummingbird belonging to the crested hummingbird genus . It is endemic to the Sierra Madre del Sur in the Mexican state of Guerrero .
description
The short-hooded elf reaches a length of 7 to 7.5 centimeters. The male has a short, straight beak and a short, one to two centimeter long hood. The thread-like hood feathers are reddish, with the longest feathers having green tips. The top is dark emerald green with a white band over the rump. The lower rump is bronze-violet. The upper tail coverts are green. The throat is shimmering emerald green. The short cheek feathers are reddish with a shimmering greenish distal band. A whitish band runs below the throat. The underside is light cinnamon colored. The tail is rounded twice. The middle pair of control feathers is greenish. The other tail feathers are reddish cinnamon with black tips. The females lack the reddish cheek feathers and the bonnet. Their foreheads are dull, cinnamon-colored. The color of the upper side is light green with a sand-colored or whitish band above the rump. The lower rump is more dull in color. The throat is whitish and is surrounded by a pure white band. The lower underside is light cinnamon colored. The tail is rounded. The middle pair of control feathers is greenish with black tips. The remaining tail feathers are cinnamon-colored with a blackish subterminal band and light sand-colored tips. The immature birds resemble the females.
Occurrence and habitat
The short-hooded elf is only known from a 25 km long area on the Atoyac-Paraíso-Puerto-el-Gallo highway in the Sierra de Atoyac within the Sierra Madre del Sur. All observations were made near the villages of Arroyo Grande, Paraiso and Nueva Delhi in January and between March and May. The species inhabits moist or semi-moist evergreen or semi-arid forests, pine-oak forests, forest edges and shady coffee plantations at altitudes between 900 and 1,800 m.
Way of life
The short-hooded elf feeds on the nectar of plants such as Inga , Cecropia , Clethra , Conostegia and other small flowering plants. Arthropods enrich the food supply. The breeding season is believed to be between November and February. During this time, the short-hooded elf can be observed at higher altitudes, while it spends the period between March and August (or longer) at lower altitudes.
status
In the early 1990s, the semi-arid forest between Paraíso and Nueva Delhi was heavily cleared and the area turned into corn, fruit and coffee plantations. Much of the remaining forest is at risk from illegal drug plant cultivation. This makes an evaluation of the habitat quality difficult.
Etymology and history of research
Robert Thomas Moore described the short- hooded elf under the name Lophornis delattrei brachylopha . The type specimen was collected in May 1947 by Chester Converse Lamb (1882-1965) in the state of Guerrero . Only later was it recognized as a separate species. "Lophornis" is derived from the Greek words "lophos λοφος " for "mane, forehead " and "ornis ορνις " for "bird". »Brachylophus« is a Greek structure from »brakhus λοφος « for »lophos λοφος « for »mane, forehead «.
literature
- J. Del Hoyo, A. Elliot, J. Sargatal (Eds.): Handbook of the Birds of the World . Volume 5: Barn-Owls to Hummingbirds. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. 1999. ISBN 8487334253
- James A. Jobling: Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names . Christopher Helm, London 2010, ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4 .
- Robert Thomas Moore: A new hummingbird of the genus Lophornis from Southern Mexico . In: Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington . tape 62 , 1949, pp. 103-104 ( online [accessed July 25, 2014]).
Web links
- Lophornis brachylophus inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014.2. Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
- BirdLife International: Species Factsheet - Short-crested Coquette ( Lophornis brachylophus ) . Retrieved July 25, 2014.
- Videos, photos and sound recordings of Short-crested Coquette (Lophornis brachylophus) in the Internet Bird Collection
- Short- crested elves ( Lophornis brachylophus ) at Avibase; Retrieved July 25, 2014.
- Lophornis brachylophus in the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS)
- xeno-canto: Sound recordings - Short-crested Coquette ( Lophornis brachylophus )