Hillstar | |
---|---|
female Andean hillstar (Oreotrochilus estella) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Clade: | Strisores |
Order: | Apodiformes |
Family: | Trochilidae |
Tribe: | Lesbiini |
Genus: | Oreotrochilus Gould, 1847 |
Type species | |
Trochilus estella [1] d'Orbigny & Lafresnaye, 1838 | |
Species | |
see text |
The hillstars are hummingbirds of the genus Oreotrochilus. They are native to the Andes in South America.
The Urochroa hillstars are not closely related.
Their genus contains seven species: [2]
Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ecuadorian hillstar | Oreotrochilus chimborazo (Delattre & Bourcier, 1846) Three subspecies
| Ecuador and extreme southern Colombia. | Size: Habitat: Diet: | LC |
Andean hillstar | Oreotrochilus estella (d'Orbigny, 1838) | Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru. | Size: Habitat: Diet: | LC |
Green-headed hillstar | Oreotrochilus stolzmanni Salvin, 1895 | southern Ecuador and northern and central Peru | Size: Habitat: Diet: | LC |
White-sided hillstar | Oreotrochilus leucopleurus Gould, 1847 | Argentina, Bolivia, Chile | Size: Habitat: Diet: | LC |
Black-breasted hillstar | Oreotrochilus melanogaster Gould, 1847 | Peru | Size: Habitat: Diet: | LC |
Wedge-tailed hillstar | Oreotrochilus adela (d'Orbigny, 1838) | Argentina and Bolivia | Size: Habitat: Diet: | LC |
Blue-throated hillstar | Oreotrochilus cyanolaemus Sornoza-Molina, Freile, Nilsson, J, Krabbe & Bonaccorso, 2018 | Ecuador | Size: Habitat: Diet: |
The birds are approximately 13 centimetres (5.1 in) in length with fairly long, slightly decurved black bills. They are sexually dimorphic. The male usually has an iridescent green throat, or bluish-purple in the Ecuadorian hillstar, with dull greenish upperparts and pale flanks. The central underparts are usually black, but are brown in the Andean hillstar. The tail is usually dark with a contrasting white pattern; the pattern is cinnamon in the wedge-tailed hillstar, and the tail is entirely dark in the black-breasted hillstar. The female is duller, with a whitish throat densely spotted with green, white, buff, or cinnamon underparts, and a dark tail with a white pattern.
These highly territorial hummingbirds are found in temperate and alpine grassland, scrub and woodland at altitudes of 1,200 to 5,200 metres (3,900 to 17,100 ft). The Ecuadorian hillstar has been observed nesting at high altitudes on the cliffs of Cotopaxi. [3] This species is known to nest colonially. [4]
Many hillstars feed mainly on shrubs of the Andean plant genus Chuquiraga , and some species may be limited to them. [5]
The genus has undergone allopatric speciation.
The black-throated mango is a species in subfamily Polytminae of the hummingbird family Trochilidae. It is found in Panama, in every mainland South American country except Chile, and in Trinidad and Tobago.
Niels Kaare Krabbe is a Danish ornithologist and bird conservationist for many years based at the Vertebrate Department of the Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen and tutored by Jon Fjeldså. His research interests include various aspects of ornithology, especially bioacoustics, conservation, and systematics and altitudinal replacements of Scytalopus tapaculos. He has worked extensively in the Andes, especially Ecuador, and wrote the passerine section of Birds of the High Andes (1990) and the accounts of most Andean species in Threatened Birds of the Americas (1992). He has helped build up a large tissue collection in the Zoological Museum and has authored or coauthored several bioacoustic publications and peer-reviewed papers in scientific journals.
The pufflegs are hummingbirds from the genera Eriocnemis and Haplophaedia. They occur in humid forest, woodland and shrub at altitudes of 1000 to 4800 m. asl in the Andes of Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela. The males have a colorful green, coppery or blue plumage, and the females are generally somewhat duller. The most striking feature of both sexes is their dense snow-white leg puffs which consist of feather tufts that resemble woolly panties. One species – the black-thighed puffleg – is characterized by black coloured leg puffs, and another – the buff-thighed puffleg – has lightly buff-tinged leg puffs. Further common features of all species are the straight black bill and the slightly to deeply forked tail. The members of the genus Haplophaedia are generally duller than the members of Eriocnemis.
Xantus's hummingbird, previously known as the black-fronted hummingbird, is a species in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is endemic to the Baja California Peninsula.
The buff-tailed coronet is a species of hummingbird in the "brilliants", tribe Heliantheini in subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela.
The long-tailed sylph is a species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
The blue-tailed hummingbird is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua.
The bumblebee hummingbird is a species of hummingbird in tribe Mellisugini of subfamily Trochilinae, the "bee hummingbirds". It is endemic to Mexico, but has occurred as a vagrant in the United States.
The Esmeraldas woodstar is a rare, neotropical species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. There are six different species in the woodstar genus. Most of them are poorly studied due to their small size, extremely similar resemblance to each other, and rarity. Esmeraldas woodstars are one of the smallest bird species. They are sexually dimorphic. The main difference between sexes is that males have a bright purple throat. Esmeraldas woodstars are found only on the Pacific coast of west Ecuador in semi-deciduous to evergreen forests. They feed on the nectar of flowering shrubs and trees. The main threat to this species is deforestation. Esmeraldas woodstars are Vulnerable and require habitat protection.
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.
The wedge-tailed hillstar is a species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Argentina and Bolivia.
The Ecuadorian hillstar or Chimborazo hillstar is a species of hummingbird. It is native to the Andes of Ecuador and extreme southern Colombia. Its main habitat type is high-altitude mountain grassland between 3500 and 5200 meters.
The Andean hillstar is a species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru.
The white-sided hillstar is a species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile.
The black-breasted hillstar is a species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is endemic to Peru.
The black-throated hermit is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
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.
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.
The blue-throated hillstar is a hummingbird found only in a small portion of the southwestern Andes in Ecuador. It was discovered in 2017.
The green-backed 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, Ecuador, and Peru.