Violet-crown brilliant hummingbird

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Violet-crown brilliant hummingbird
Violet crown brilliant hummingbird ♂

Violet crown brilliant hummingbird ♂

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Sailor birds (Apodiformes)
Family : Hummingbirds (Trochilidae)
Genre : Eugene
Type : Violet-crown brilliant hummingbird
Scientific name of the  genus
Eugene
Gould , 1856
Scientific name of the  species
Eugene Fulgens
( Swainson , 1827)

The violet-crown brilliant hummingbird ( Eugenes fulgens ) or thick-billed hummingbird is a sailing bird in the hummingbird family (Trochilidae). It occurs from the southwest of the United States to Panama . The IUCN classifies the population as Least Concern .

features

The violet crown brilliant hummingbird reaches a body length of about 12 to 13.5 cm. The males weigh about 10 g. The females are a little lighter at around 8.5 g. The males have a straight black beak. There is a small white spot behind the eye. The front skull and the top of the head glitter purple. The throat shimmers turquoise green. The ear covers look dark. The nape of the neck and the rest of the top are green. The underside is blackish, with the side flanks mottled green. The dark under tail-coverts have a white border. The tail is green to bronze green in color. In the females, the white spot stands out clearly from the green skull and the black ear covers. The neck and top are green. Both the throat and the underside are dark gray. The under tail coverts are lined with white. With the green tail, the outer control feathers have a thick black band with white spots at the end.

Males that are not yet fully grown have a green upper surface with abundant scales that have light-colored edges at the ends. The throat and underside are dark green and, like the top, have light edges. Often the purple top of the head and the green throat are already indicated. The black band on the outer control feathers is missing and the white spots are more dense.

distribution and habitat

Distribution map of the violet crown brilliant hummingbird

They are found near pine and oak forests with flowers in clearings and around the edges. As they move on, you can also see them in desert grasslands, open farmland with blooming agaves. They move at heights between 1000 and 3000 meters, but mostly over 1500 meters.

behavior

They are looking for their food or are practically in all stratification layers . They often sit on the branches of the upper strata and briefly rush out to hunt insects. During the breeding season, the males aggressively defend their territory , which is often criss-crossed with many thistles . Occasionally they make trips to the crowns to fly for the flowers of the heather family and passion flowers . The females like to visit the Centropogon , which belongs to the bluebell family , where they change from one flower to another in rapid succession and visit them regularly (traplining). Other plants that both sexes enjoy are fuchsias and hammer shrubs .

Vocalizations

The call sounds like loud, sharp chik and chip sounds, which they often repeat while sitting on branches. They also emit a soft, light hum and gurgling hum.

Reproduction

In the north and in the center of Mexico they breed from May to August, in Guatemala only from July to August. In Costa Rica, the breeding season is even later from November to March. They build their nest into a thick calyx. They use soft plants, fibers and roots for construction. They cover the outside tightly with moss and lichen. They build the nest at a height of about 3 meters in bamboo trunks and the undergrowth of forests.

Subspecies

Violet-crown brilliant hummingbird ♂ and ♀
MonographTrochi2Goul 0082.jpg MonographTrochiSupplementGoul 0072.jpg
( Eugenes fulgens fulgens ) Henry Constantine Richter and John Gould ( Eugenes fulgens spectabilis ) William Matthew Hart and John Gould

There are currently two subspecies:

  • Eugenes fulgens fulgens ( Swainson , 1827). The nominate form is widespread from the southwestern United States to Honduras and Nicaragua .
  • Eugenes fulgens spectabilis ( Lawrence , 1867). The subspecies occurs in Costa Rica to the west of Panama . This subspecies is slightly larger than the nominate form. The chest area is dark bronze green and the abdomen is greyish.

Etymology and history of research

William Swainson described the hummingbird under the name Trochilus fulgens . The type specimen came from the table mountains near Temascaltepec and was collected by William Bullock and his son William Bullock, Junior . The subspecies was described by George Newbold Lawrence under the name Heliomaster spectabilis . The type specimen came from Costa Rica and was made available to him by the then Costa Rican consul Alfred G. Garsia in Boston. It was not until 1856 that John Gould proposed it to the new genus Eugenes . Since René Primevère Lesson used the synonym Ornismya Rivolii in 1929 in honor of François Victor Massénas , second Duke of Rivoli and third Prince of Essling (1799–1863), the name Rivoli's Hummingbird can also be found in English-language literature .

The Greek word "eugenēs εγενές " means "noble, high-born". The Latin word "fulgens" means "sparkling, shiny, glittering". The Latin word "spectabilis" means "remarkable, striking".

literature

  • Steve NG Howell, Sophie W. Webb: A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America . Oxford University Press, New York 1995, ISBN 0-19-854012-4 .
  • Frank Gary Stiles, Alexander Frank Skutch , Dana Gardner: A Guide to the Birds of Costa Rica . Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca / New York 1990, ISBN 0-8014-9600-4 .
  • 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 ).
  • George Newbold Lawrence: Description of New Species of American Birds . In: Annals of Lyceum of Natural History of New York . tape 8 , no. 46 , 1867, pp. 466-482 ( biodiversitylibrary.org ).
  • John Gould: A monograph of the Trochilidæ, or family of humming-birds . tape 2 , delivery 12. Taylor and Francis, London 1856 ( biodiversitylibrary.org ).
  • René Primevère Lesson: Histoire naturelle des oiseaux-mouches, ouvrage orné de planches desinées et gravée par les meilleurs artistes et dédié A SAR Mademoiselle 81 plates (Prêtre, Antoine Germaine Bévalet, Marie Clémence Lesson based on Louis Vieillot's Charles Vieillot, Antoine William Pierre William Vieillot , Pancrace Bessa , Elisa Zoé Dumont de Sainte Croix) . Arthus-Bertrand, Paris 1829 ( gdz.sub.uni-goettingen.de ).
  • Luz Estela Zamudio Beltrán, Juan Francisco Ornelas, Andreia Malpica, Blanca Estela Hernández Baños: Genetic and morphological differentiation among populations of the Rivoli's Hummingbird (Eugenes fulgens) species complex (Aves: Trochilidae) . In: The Auk . tape 137 , no. 3 , July 24, 2020, doi : 10.1093 / auk / ukaa032 .

Web links

Commons : Eugenes fulgens  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. a b Steve NG Howell et al. a., p. 418
  2. Frank Gary Stiles et al. a., p. 227
  3. a b c d e f Steve NG Howell u. a., p. 419
  4. a b c Frank Gary Stiles u. a., p. 228.
  5. ^ IOC World Bird List Hummingbirds
  6. ^ William Swainson, p. 441.
  7. George Newbold Lawrence, p. 472 f.
  8. René Primevère Lesson, p. 48, plate 4.
  9. ^ John Gould, plate 59 & text.
  10. James A. Jobling, p. 152.
  11. James A. Jobling p. 165.
  12. James A. Jobling p. 361.