Mexico shadow hummingbird
| Mexico shadow hummingbird | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mexico shadow hummingbird |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Phaethornis mexicanus | ||||||||||||
| Hartert, E , 1897 |
The Mexican shadow hummingbird ( Phaethornis mexicanus ) is a species of bird in the hummingbird family (Trochilidae). It is endemic to Mexico . The IUCN assesses the population as Least Concern .
features
The Mexican shadow hummingbird reaches a body length of about 16 to 17 cm. The skull of the males is dark. It is greenish-brown from the neck to the back. The rump and tail coverts are lined with a wide cinnamon color. The black tail with a dark green base is speckled with a wide, light cinnamon color. The black ear covers are bordered by cinnamon-colored lines on the upper eyes and beard. The sides of the neck are dark gray, the central area of the throat pale yellow-brown. The rest of the underside has a dark brownish gray, a color that turns into a washed-out cinnamon color on the belly and on the under tail-covers. The upper bill is black, the lower bill flesh-colored to yellow with black spots. Females have shorter wings and a shorter beak that is significantly more curved than that of the males.
Behavior and nutrition
The nectar it relates like the Western Long-tailed Hermit , which he was associated for a long time as a subspecies of different flowers. So belong heliconias , Costus , Aphelandra and passion flower to their sources. As a trapliner, they regularly fly to certain favorite forage plants. Smaller arthropods are among their food sources.
Vocalizations
The singing of P. m. griseoventer consists of a continuous series of individual, metallic-sounding tones with a rate of approx. 1.6 to 1.8 tones per second. These sound like tschieh ... tschieh ... tschieh ... . The structure of the song is similar to that of the western long-tailed shadow hummingbird, but the tones sound less squeaky, thinner and more metallic. The males form a leks together with up to four birds and sit 5 to 8 meters in the shady undergrowth in areas dominated by young Attalea cohune . In these there are heliconias and tendrils that are about 3 to meters above the ground. The tones in the Lek sound shrill, indistinct and relatively drowning out like sweik . Little is known about the singing of the nominated form. They also form a lek with up to six males.
Reproduction
There is little research into reproductive behavior. In mid-May, a nest with two eggs was discovered in Oaxaca that was inhabited until the end of the month. Another nest was also found in early July with two eggs.
distribution and habitat
The Mexican shadow hummingbird inhabits moist, evergreen forests and forest edges, heliconia thickets, as well as in shady seasonal deciduous forests in ravines. It moves at altitudes up to 2000 meters.
Subspecies
There are two known subspecies:
- Phaethornis mexicanus griseoventer Phillips, AR , 1962 occurs from Nayarit to Colima . The subspecies looks slightly lighter than the nominate form , has a dull green skull, whitish to light brown-yellow throat lines, and obviously more white central control feathers.
- Phaethornis mexicanus mexicanus Hartert, E , 1897 is distributed from Guerrero to western Oaxaca .
Etymology and history of research
Ernst Hartert described the Mexico shadow hummingbird under the name Phaethornis mexicanus . The type specimen came from Dos Arroyos in Guerrero and was in the museum of Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild . In 1827 William Swainson introduced the genus Phaethornis for the Eastern long-tailed shadow hummingbird ( Phaethornis superciliosus ( Linnaeus , 1766)). The term “Phaethornis” is derived from the Greek words “phaethōn Φαέθων ” for “the shining one, the shining one” and “órnis όρνις ” for “bird”. The name »mexicanus« refers to the country Mexico. »Griseoventer« is a Latin combination of »griseum« for »gray« and »venter, ventris« for »belly«.
literature
- Josep del Hoyo , Guy Maxwell Kirwan, Peter Boesman in Josep del Hoyo, Andrew Elliott, Jordi Sargatal , David Andrew Christie , Eduardo de Juana: Mexican Hermit (Phaethornis mexicanus) 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 .
- 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 ).
- Ernst Hartert: Various Notes on Humming Birds . In: The Ibis (= 7 ). tape 3 , no. 11 , 1897, p. 423-435 ( biodiversitylibrary.org ).
- Allan Robert Phillips: Notas sobre aves mexicanas I. In: Anales del Instituto de Biología de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México . tape 32 , 1962, pp. 333-381 .
Web links
- Phaethornis mexicanus inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018.1. Listed by: BirdLife International, 2016. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
- BirdLife International: Species Factsheet - Mexican Hermit ( Phaethornis mexicanus ) . Retrieved October 5, 2018.
- Videos, photos and sound recordings of Mexican Hermit (Phaethornis mexicanus) in the Internet Bird Collection
- Mexican shadow hummingbird ( Phaethornis mexicanus ) at Avibase; accessed on October 5, 2018.
- Phaethornis mexicanus in the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). Retrieved on 2018-10-05.
- xeno-canto: sound recordings - Mexican Hermit ( Phaethornis mexicanus )
- Mexico shadow hummingbird (Phaethornis mexicanus) in the Encyclopedia of Life . Retrieved October 5, 2018.