Costa's hummingbird

Last updated

Costa's hummingbird
Hummingbird.jpg
Costas Hummingbird female RWD2.jpg
Male above, female below
CITES Appendix II (CITES) [2]
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Apodiformes
Family: Trochilidae
Genus: Calypte
Species:
C. costae
Binomial name
Calypte costae
(Bourcier, 1839)
Calypte costae map.svg
Range of C. costae
  Breeding range
  Year-round range
  Wintering range

Costa's hummingbird (Calypte costae) is a bird species in the hummingbird family Trochilidae. It breeds in the arid region of the southwest United States and northwest Mexico; it winters in western Mexico.

Contents

Taxonomy

Costa's hummingbird was formally described by the French ornithologist Jules Bourcier in 1839 and given the binomial name Ornismya costae. [3] Bourcier chose the specific epithet to honour the French nobleman Louis Marie Pantaleon Costa, Marquis de Beauregard (1806–1864). [4] The type locality is Magdalena Bay on the western coast of the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. [5] Costa's hummingbird is now placed in the genus Calypte that was introduced in 1856 by John Gould. [6] [7] The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised. [7]

Hybrids between this species and Anna's hummingbird, the black-chinned hummingbird as well as the broad-tailed hummingbird are known. [8]

Description

This species is very small, a mature adult growing to only 3–3.5 in (7.6–8.9 cm) in length, a wingspan of 11 cm, [9] and an average weight of 3.05 g for males and 3.22 g for females. [10] The male has a mainly green back and flanks, a small black tail and wings, and patches of white below their gorgeted throat and tail. Its most distinguishing feature is its vibrant purple cap and throat with the throat feathers flaring out and back behind its head. The female is not as distinct as the male, having grayish-green above with a white underbelly.

Distribution and habitat

Costa's hummingbird is fairly common in the arid brushy deserts and any nearby gardens of the Southwestern United States and the Baja California Peninsula of Mexico.

Behaviour

Breeding

Male Costa's hummingbird Unidentified hummingbird by Pete Gregoire (9363245042).jpg
Male Costa's hummingbird

The male Costa's hummingbird's courtship display is a spirited series of swoops and arcing dives, carefully utilizing a proper angle to the sun to show off his violet plumage to impress prospective mates. Each high-speed dive will also pass within inches of the female, perched on a nearby branch, which will be accented by a high-pitched shriek that is produced by the tail. Separately, the male will perch and produce similar sounds in his song—except, the song is vocal rather than tail-generated.

The female constructs a small cup-shaped nest out of plant fibers, down, and at times spider silk, coated with lichen to hold it together. [11] The nest is situated on a yucca stalk or tree limb. The female lays just two eggs, which are white in color, which she will incubate for 15 to 18 days before the young hatch. The young leave the nest after 20 to 23 days.

Diet

Female feeding on flower Kolibri-Sonora-Desert-USA.jpg
Female feeding on flower

Like all other hummingbird species, Costa's hummingbird feeds on flower nectar and any tiny insects that it happens to find in the flower petals.

Torpor

As with other hummingbird species, it can slow down its metabolism during cold nights when it enters a hibernation-like state known as torpor and its heart and respiration rate are dramatically slowed.

Conservation

The IUCN describes them as of least concern. The population is stable and there are no known threats. They are found in at least one protected area. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anna's hummingbird</span> Species of bird

Anna's hummingbird is a medium-sized bird species of the family Trochilidae. It was named after Anna Masséna, Duchess of Rivoli.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allen's hummingbird</span> Species of bird

Allen's hummingbird is a species of hummingbird that breeds in the western United States. It is one of seven species in the genus Selasphorus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amazilia hummingbird</span>

The amazilia hummingbird is a hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is the only species placed in the genus Amazilis. It is found in Ecuador and Peru. Its six subspecies differ primarily in their throat and belly colors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berylline hummingbird</span>

The berylline hummingbird is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Collared inca</span> Species of bird

The collared inca is a species of hummingbird found in humid Andean forests from western Venezuela, through Colombia and Ecuador, to Peru and Bolivia. It is very distinctive and unique in having a white chest-patch and white on the tail. Like other hummingbirds it takes energy from flower nectar, while the plant benefits from the symbiotic relationship by being pollinated. Its protein source is small arthropods such as insects. It is normally solitary and can be found at varying heights above the ground, often in the open.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mangrove hummingbird</span>

The mangrove hummingbird is an Endangered species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is endemic to Costa Rica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snowy-bellied hummingbird</span>

The snowy-bellied hummingbird or snowy-breasted hummingbird, is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in mostly in Costa Rica and Panama with a few records in Colombia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hooded visorbearer</span> Species of bird (Augastes lumachella)

The hooded visorbearer is a small species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. Endemic to the east Brazilian state of Bahia, it is found only at higher altitudes in the Chapada Diamantina region. The species is sexually dimorphic. The male is an iridescent bronzy-green overall, with black on his crown and the sides of his head. His forehead and throat are a glittering green shading to bluish-green at the lower edge and narrowly bordered by black. The female is bronzer, with a green crown and brown sides to her head. Her throat is less colorful than the male's, and she lacks iridescence on her forehead. Both sexes have crimson tails and a narrow white breast band, the male with a brilliantly iridescent golden-orange spot in the center, at the lower edge of his gorget.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rufous-shafted woodstar</span> Species of hummingbird

The rufous-shafted woodstar is a species of hummingbird in tribe Mellisugini of subfamily Trochilinae, the "bee hummingbirds". It is found in Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Short-tailed emerald</span> Species of hummingbird

The short-tailed emerald is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Colombia and Venezuela. It has also been called Poortman's emerald hummingbird.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swallow-tailed hummingbird</span> Species of bird

The swallow-tailed hummingbird is a species in the hummingbird family (Trochilidae), found mainly in east-central South America. Most authorities place it in the genus Eupetomena, although some place it in Campylopterus based on song and the thick shafts of the males' first primaries. Its common name and specific epithet both refer to the long, deeply forked, somewhat swallow-like tail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue-throated goldentail</span> Species of bird

The blue-throated goldentail, also known as the blue-throated sapphire, is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is found in Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and heavily degraded former forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Violet-headed hummingbird</span> Species of bird

The violet-headed hummingbird is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is the only species in the genus Klais.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sapphire-throated hummingbird</span> Species of bird

The sapphire-throated hummingbird is a shiny metallic-green hummingbird found in Panama, Colombia, and more recently Costa Rica. The sapphire-throated hummingbird is separated into three subspecies; Chrysuronia coeruleogularis coeruleogularis, Chrysuronia coeruleogularis coelina, and Chrysuronia coeruleogularis conifis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-tailed trainbearer</span> Species of bird

The black-tailed trainbearer is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is found between 2500 and 3800m in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forest, subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland, and heavily degraded former forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buffy hummingbird</span> Species of bird

The buffy hummingbird is a species of bird in the hummingbird family Trochilidae. It is the only species placed in the genus Leucippus. This bird lives in dry forest and scrubland in northern South America where it feeds on insects and the nectar, flesh, and juice of cactus fruits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rufous-crested coquette</span> Species of bird

The rufous-crested coquette is a species of hummingbird native to the tropical slopes of pacific South America. Due to its small size and population, it is a rare sight even within its native region. Males of the species can be easily distinguished by their striking rufous coloured spiked crests, and females, while less obvious, can be identified by their small size and rufous coloured foreheads.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rufous-gaped hillstar</span> Species of hummingbird

The rufous-gaped hillstar, formerly included in the white-tailed hillstar, is a species of hummingbird in the "brilliants", tribe Heliantheini in subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Colombia and Ecuador.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green-headed hillstar</span> Species of bird

The green-headed hillstar is a species of hummingbird found in the Andes of southern Ecuador and northern and central Peru. It is one of 6 species in the genus Oreotrochilus, and can be distinguished from its relatives by subtle differences in plumage coloration. The green-headed hillstar received its name due to its bronze and green crown and gorget of bright emerald green plumage. The species was first discovered by English ornithologist Osbert Salvin in 1895 and named after Polish ornithologist Jean Stanislaus Stolzmann.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crowned woodnymph</span> Species of hummingbird

The crowned woodnymph or violet-crowned woodnymph is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found from Belize and Guatemala to northern Peru.

References

  1. BirdLife International (2016). "Calypte costae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T22688202A93187017. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22688202A93187017.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  3. Bourcier, Jules (1839). "Description de quelques espèces nouvelles d'oiseaux-mouches". Revue Zoologique (in French). 2: 294–295 [294].
  4. Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 120. ISBN   978-1-4081-2501-4.
  5. Peters, James Lee, ed. (1945). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 5. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. pp. 136–137.
  6. Gould, John (1856). A Monograph of the Trochilidae, or Family of Humming-Birds. Vol. 4. London: self. Plates 134, 135, 136 and text (Part 11, Plates 5, 6 and 7). The 5 volumes were issued in 25 parts between 1849 and 1861. Title pages of all volumes bear the date of 1861.
  7. 1 2 Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (January 2021). "Hummingbirds". IOC World Bird List Version 11.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  8. Huey, Laurence M. (1944). "A hybrid Costa's x Broad-tailed hummingbird" (PDF). The Auk . 61 (4): 636–637. doi:10.2307/4080185. JSTOR   4080185.
  9. Oiseaux.net. "Colibri de Costa - Calypte costae - Costa's Hummingbird". www.oiseaux.net. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
  10. "Costa's Hummingbird". www.hummingbirds.net. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
  11. Woods, Robert S. (1922). "The development of young Costa hummingbirds" (PDF). The Condor. 24 (6): 189–193. doi:10.2307/1362578. JSTOR   1362578.
  12. "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.