Violet head elf
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Violet head elf ( Calypte costae ) |
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| ( Bourcier , 1839) |
The violet- headed elf ( Calypte costae ), also known as Costa hummingbird , belongs to the hummingbird family (Trochilidae).
Appearance
Violet-headed elves are around 7 to 8 centimeters long and have a wingspan of 11 centimeters. They reach a weight of 3.0 to 3.5 grams. The sexes show a clear dimorphism in the coloring of the plumage . The back and neck side shimmer green in males and females . Males can be recognized by their purple throat. The female's throat is whitish in color. The eyes, legs and feet of both sexes are dark brown to black in color.
distribution
The species lives in western North America in the United States and Mexico .
food
Violet elves are omnivores. Their diet consists mainly of flower nectar and pollen . The nectar is absorbed from the flowers in flight. In addition, insects are eaten, which ensures a sufficient supply of protein .
Reproduction
The female lays two eggs on average. The young birds hatch after a breeding season of 15 to 18 days. The young are fledged after 20 to 23 days.
Enemies
In addition to humans, who destroy the hummingbird's habitat and process parts of this bird into jewelry, the species also has natural enemies such as snakes , cats and birds of prey .
Danger
The entire stock is currently not viewed as threatened. In the Red List of the World Conservation of Nature Union , the violet-headed elf is therefore listed in the "LC" (least concern) category.
Etymology and history of research
Jules Bourcier described the species as Ornismya costæ . Only later was it assigned to the genus Calypte .
The specific epithet honors the Savoyard soldier, politician, naturalist and archaeologist Louis Marie Pantaléon Marquis Costa, Marquis de Beauregard (1806–1864). In his first description Bourcier did not mention to whom exactly he dedicated the name, but he did so a year later in his article Description et figures des trois espèces nouvelled d'oiseaux-mouches . Thus, the assumption that Prévost and Des Murs made in their work Voyage autour du monde sur la frégate la Vénus that the name of the hummingbird was dedicated to the director of the Museum of Naples Oronzio Gabrielle Costa (1787–1867) turned out to be false .
literature
- Laurence Markham Huey: General Notes: A hybrid Costa's X Broad-tailed Hummingbird . In: The Auk . tape 61 , no. 2 , 1944, pp. 636–837 ( online (PDF; 127 kB) [accessed June 7, 2012]).
- Dieter Poley: Hummingbirds Trochilidae . Westarp Sciences, Hohenwarsleben 1994, ISBN 978-3-89432-409-4 .
- Robert Burton: The World of the Hummingbird . Firefly Books, Richmond Hill, Ontario 2001, ISBN 978-1-55209-607-9 .
- Sheila N. Kee: Backyard Birds of the Inland Empire . Heyday, 2010, ISBN 1-59714-132-1 , pp. 62-63 ( online [accessed June 9, 2012]).
- Bethany Ruth Williams, Anne M. Houtman: Song of Costa's Hummingbird (Calypte costae) . In: The Auk . tape 125 , no. 3 , 2008, p. 661-669 ( online [accessed June 7, 2012]).
- James A. Jobling: Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names . Christopher Helm, London 2010, ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4 .
- Jules Bourcier: Description of quelques espèces nouvelles d'Oiseaux-Mouches . In: Revue Zoologique par La Société Cuvierienne . tape 2 , 1839, p. 294–295 ( online [accessed June 9, 2012]).
- Description et figures des trois espèces nouvelled d'oiseaux-mouches . In: Annales des sciences physiques et naturelles, d'agriculture et d'industrie . tape 3 , 1840, p. 225-228 ( online [accessed March 19, 2013]).
- with Isidore Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, Marc Athanase Parfait Œillet Des Murs, Auguste Henri André Duméril, Achille Valenciennes: Voyage autour du monde sur la frégate la Vénus. commandée par Abel de Petit-Thouars, Capitaine de vaisseau, Commandeur de la Légion d'honneur. Zoology: mammifères, oiseaux, reptiles, et poissons . Volume zoology. Gide et J. Baudry, Paris 1855 ( online [accessed March 19, 2013]).
- Barbara Mearns , Richard Mearns: Audubon to Xantus: The Lives of Those Commemorated in North American Bird Names . Academic Press Limited, London 1992, ISBN 978-0-12-487423-7 .
Web links
- Calypte costae inthe IUCN 2012 Red List of Threatened Species . 2. Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
- BirdLife International: Species Factsheet - Costa's Hummingbird ( Calypte costae ) . Retrieved March 19, 2013.
- Videos, photos and sound recordings of Costa's Hummingbird (Calypte costae) in the Internet Bird Collection
- Violet-headed elf ( Calypte costae ) at Avibase; Retrieved March 19, 2013.
- Calypte costae in the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). Retrieved March 19, 2013.
- xeno-canto: Sound recordings - Costa's Hummingbird ( Calypte costae )
- Animaldiversity - Calypte costae