Gorget (bird)

Last updated January 27, 2023

Like many hummingbirds, the male Costa's hummingbird has an iridescent gorget. Hummingbird.jpg — Like many hummingbirds, the male Costa's hummingbird has an iridescent gorget.

A gorget is a patch of colored feathers found on the throat or upper breast of some species of birds.^[1] It is a feature found on many male hummingbirds, particularly those found in North America; these gorgets are typically iridescent.^[2] Other species, such as the purple-throated fruitcrow ^[3] and chukar partridge, also show the feature.^[4] The term is derived from the gorget used in military armor to protect the throat.

Feather wear and exposure to the sun can produce changes in the apparent color of iridescent gorget feathers. For example, fresh gorget feathers on the Anna's hummingbird are rose red; these fade to a coppery bronzy color with age.^[5]

Functions

A number of social functions have been suggested for the gorget. It may aid in mate attraction or in resource defense. It may signal social status or allow species to identify conspecifics.^[6] Among hummingbirds, gorgets are typically found only on males. In the rare instances where they are found on females, they appear to serve primarily for signaling threats.^[7]

Young hummingbirds, which need to intrude on adult territories to feed once they have fledged, all lack gorgets. This may help to make them less visible or less threatening to adult birds.^[8]

Related Research Articles

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The ruby-throated hummingbird is a species of hummingbird that generally spends the winter in Central America, Mexico, and Florida, and migrates to Canada and other parts of Eastern North America for the summer to breed. It is by far the most common hummingbird seen east of the Mississippi River in North America.

The red-legged partridge is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. It is sometimes known as French partridge, to distinguish it from the English or grey partridge. The genus name is from Ancient Greek alektoris a farmyard chicken, and rufa is Latin for red or rufous.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chukar partridge</span> Species of bird

The chukar partridge, or simply chukar, is a Palearctic upland gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae. It has been considered to form a superspecies complex along with the rock partridge, Philby's partridge and Przevalski's partridge and treated in the past as conspecific particularly with the first. This partridge has well-marked black and white bars on the flanks and a black band running from the forehead across the eye down the head to form a necklace that encloses a white throat. Native to Asia, the species has been introduced into many other places and feral populations have established themselves in parts of North America and New Zealand. This bird can be found in parts of the Middle East and temperate Asia.

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

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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.

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The purple-throated mountaingem is a species of hummingbird in tribe Lampornithini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Panama.

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The wine-throated hummingbird is a species of hummingbird in tribe Mellisugini of subfamily Trochilinae, the "bee hummingbirds". It is found in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico.

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References

↑ Campbell, Bruce; Lack, Elizabeth, eds. (1985). A Dictionary of Birds. Calton, Staffs, England: T & A D Poyser. p. 254. ISBN 0-85661-039-9.
↑ Howell, Steve N. G. (2002). Hummingbirds of North America: The Photographic Guide. Academic Press. p. 1. ISBN 0-12-356955-9.
↑ Ridgely, Robert S.; Tudor, Guy; Brown, William L. (1994). The Birds of South America: The suboscine passerines. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press. p. 771. ISBN 0-292-77063-4.
↑ Christensen, Glen C. (1970). The Chukar Partridge: Its Introduction, Life History and Management. Reno, NV: Nevada Department of Fish and Game. p. 33.
↑ Williamson, Sheri (2001). A Field Guide to the Hummingbirds of North America. New York: Houghton Mifflin. p. 30. ISBN 0-618-02496-4.
↑ Topoff, Howard R., ed. (1987). The Natural History Reader in Animal Behavior . New York: Columbia University Press. p. 151. ISBN 0-231-06159-5.
↑ Fjeldså, Jon (1990). Birds of the High Andes. Copenhagen: Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen. p. 241. ISBN 87-88757-16-1.
↑ Power, Dennis M., ed. (1989). Current Ornithology, volume 6. New York: Springer. p. 55. ISBN 978-0-306-43056-5.

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[1] Campbell, Bruce; Lack, Elizabeth, eds. (1985). A Dictionary of Birds. Calton, Staffs, England: T & A D Poyser. p. 254. ISBN 0-85661-039-9.

[2] Howell, Steve N. G. (2002). Hummingbirds of North America: The Photographic Guide. Academic Press. p. 1. ISBN 0-12-356955-9.

[3] Ridgely, Robert S.; Tudor, Guy; Brown, William L. (1994). The Birds of South America: The suboscine passerines. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press. p. 771. ISBN 0-292-77063-4.

[4] Christensen, Glen C. (1970). The Chukar Partridge: Its Introduction, Life History and Management. Reno, NV: Nevada Department of Fish and Game. p. 33.

[Williamson-5] Williamson, Sheri (2001). A Field Guide to the Hummingbirds of North America. New York: Houghton Mifflin. p. 30. ISBN 0-618-02496-4.

[6] Topoff, Howard R., ed. (1987). The Natural History Reader in Animal Behavior . New York: Columbia University Press. p. 151. ISBN 0-231-06159-5.

[7] Fjeldså, Jon (1990). Birds of the High Andes. Copenhagen: Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen. p. 241. ISBN 87-88757-16-1.

[8] Power, Dennis M., ed. (1989). Current Ornithology, volume 6. New York: Springer. p. 55. ISBN 978-0-306-43056-5.

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