Black-bellied Avoset Hummingbird

Black-bellied Avoset Hummingbird
	Black-bellied Avoset Hummingbird ( Avocettula recurvirostris ) ; (Illustration by William Swainson, 1821)
Systematics
Class :	Birds (aves)
Order :	Sailor birds (Apodiformes)
Family :	Hummingbirds (Trochilidae)
Genre :	Avocettula
Type :	Black-bellied Avoset Hummingbird
Scientific name of the genus
	Avocettula
	Reichenbach , 1849
Scientific name of the species
	Avocettula recurvirostris
	( Swainson , 1822)

The fiery-tailed awlbill ( Avocettula recurvirostris ), sometimes sword-billed Hummingbird or Avosettkolibri called, is a species of bird from the family of hummingbirds (Trochilidae). The species has a large range that includes the countries of Venezuela , Guyana , Brazil, and possibly Ecuador . The IUCN assesses the population as Least Concern .

features

The black-bellied avosette hummingbird reaches a body length of approx. 9.7 cm with a body weight of only approx. 4.2 g, with the wings 5.2 cm, the tail 2.9 cm and the black beak bent upwards at the tip 1.5 cm long. The upper side, the elytra, and the flanks of the male are dark bronze green. The emerald green throat and chest area has a strong sheen. The middle of the abdomen is black, the middle tail feathers dark blackish green. The lateral control feathers are dark purple on the upper side and shimmering purple copper red on the underside. The wings are blackish purple. The upper side, the wing-coverts and the flanks of the females are green to blue-green. The white underside is traversed by a black stripe that extends from the chin to the rump. The top of the tail is green, the underside steel blue with white tips on the lateral pairs of feathers. The wings are blackish purple. Both sexes have black feet.

behavior

In Suriname it was observed how they approached the flowers of the genus Clusia , which belongs to the plant family Clusiaceae, and the genus Dioclea, which belongs to the tribe Phaseoleae . The plants grew on stony outcrop containing quartz . This is a hot, arid micro- habitat , which mainly consists of undergrowth. Not much is known about the functionality of the upturned beak tip. Similar to the thorn- billed hummingbirds ( Chalcostigma ) Reichenbach , 1854 and the hooked beaks ( Diglossa ) Wagler , 1832, however, they are mainly regarded as nectar robbers, i.e. H. they prick the corolla and consume nectar without helping the plant with pollination.

Reproduction

In Suriname they breed from September to December. They build very small, goblet-like nests which they erect on thick horizontal branches of larger bushes at heights between 5 and 12 meters.

habitat

Distribution area (green) of the black-bellied avoset hummingbird

This monotypical species occurs in the southeast of Bolívar on rock outcrops, on the Roraima-Tepui near the Río Grande , as well as near the edges of forests and bushy vegetation. Here it is present up to heights of 1200 meters. In Brazil, a female was first discovered in 2008 in the state of Tocantins . It is doubtful whether the species even exists in eastern Ecuador. The few reports that exist tell of Várzea forests near Imuyacocha or Montalvo on the Bobonaza river.

Etymology and history of research

William Swainson described the black-bellied avosette hummingbird under the name Trochilus recurvirostris . He bought the type specimen at an auction from William Bullock (around 1773–1849). The bellows supposedly came from Peru. Only later was the hummingbird assigned to the new genus Avocettula introduced by Heinrich Gottlieb Ludwig Reichenbach in 1849 . This name comes from the old Italian and means "avocet". The specific epithet »recurvirostris« is composed of the Latin words »recurvus« for »bent backwards« and »-rostris, rostrum« for »-beaked, beak«. Occasionally the species is placed in the literature in the genus "Anthracothorax".

literature

Rolf Grantsau : The hummingbirds of Brazil . A key for all hummingbird shapes in Brazil. Expressão e Cultura, Rio de Janeiro 1988, ISBN 978-85-208-0101-7 .
Steven Leon Hilty, John A. Gwynne, Guy Tudor : Birds of Venezuela . Princeton University Press, Princeton 2002, ISBN 0-691-09250-8 ( books.google.de ).
Robert Sterling Ridgely, Paul J. Greenfield: Birds of Ecuador Field Guide . tape 1 : Status, Distribution, and Taxonomy . Princeton University Press, Princeton 2001, ISBN 0-8014-8720-X .
Navjot S. Sodhi, Çağan H. Şekercioğlu, Jos Barlow, Scott K. Robinson: Conservation of Tropical Birds . Wiley-Blackwell, Chichester, West Sussex 2011, ISBN 978-1-4443-3482-1 ( books.google.at ).
James A. Jobling: Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names . Christopher Helm, London 2010, ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4 .
Heinrich Gottlieb Ludwig Reichenbach: Avium systema naturale - the natural system of the birds (= the most complete natural history at home and abroad. ). Hofmeister, Dresden / Leipzig 1852 ( archive.org - In two parts as a text and table volume).
William Swainson: Zoological illustrations, or, Original figures and descriptions of new, rare, or interesting animals: selected chiefly from the classes of ornithology, entomology, and conchology, and arranged on the principles of Cuvier and other modern zoologists . tape 2, 1821-1822 . Printed by R. and A. Taylor for Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy; and W. Wood, London ( biodiversitylibrary.org [accessed December 30, 2014]).
Renato Torres Pinheiro, Elivânia dos Santos Reis, Deborah Rodello Grupo: Expansion of Distribution Area the hummingbird-peas-facing Avocettula recurvirostris (Swainson, 1822) to the Cerrado in the State of Tocantins, Brazil. In: Revista Brasileira de Ornitologia . tape 16 , no. 2 , 2008, p. 181–183 ( museu-goeldi.br [PDF; accessed December 24, 2014]).
Heinrich Gottlieb Ludwig Reichenbach: Enumeration of the hummingbirds or trochilids in their true natural relationship, including the key to their systematics . In: Journal of Ornithology . tape 2 : Extraheft , 1854, p. 1-24 ( biodiversitylibrary.org [accessed December 30, 2014]).
Johann Georg Wagler: Reports on some remarkable animals . In: Isis von Oken . tape 25 , 1832, pp. 275–282 ( biodiversitylibrary.org [accessed December 30, 2014]).