Long-tailed woodnymph

Last updated

Long-tailed woodnymph
Thalurania watertonii Long-tailed Woodnymph (male); Pedra d'Antas reserve, Lagoa dos Gatos, Pernambuco, Brazil.jpg
CITES Appendix II (CITES) [2]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Clade: Strisores
Order: Apodiformes
Family: Trochilidae
Genus: Thalurania
Species:
T. watertonii
Binomial name
Thalurania watertonii
(Bourcier, 1847)
Thalurania watertonii map.svg

The long-tailed woodnymph (Thalurania watertonii) is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is found in humid forest in northeastern Brazil, where it is known from the states of Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe and the northernmost Bahia. [3] It is usually thought to be widespread, but seen at low density in its increasingly fragmented range. [3] Its population is estimated to be around 1,000–2,500 individuals, currently in decline due to deforestation and habitat loss. [4]

Contents

Description

The long-tailed woodnymph is sexually dimorphic. The males are heavier, with significantly larger wings and tails, whereas the females have longer bills. [5] Males are approximately 11.8–13 centimetres (4.6–5.1 in) long, including a tail of 6 centimetres (2.4 in) cm; while females measure roughly 10–11 centimetres (3.9–4.3 in) in length, with a tail of 3.6 centimetres (1.4 in). Individuals have a weight of 3.7–5.2 g. [3]

Males have a conspicuous iridescent plumage in blue, green and purple. The crown and neck are bronze-green, [6] back is iridescent violet-blue, shining grass-green undersides and violet-blue flanks; Its long, deeply-forked tail is blue. [3] Female plumage is much more faint, allowing them to stay unnoticeable as they build nests and care for their young, [4] and a shorter, slightly forked white-tipped tail with a blue subterminal band and a pair of blue-green rectrices. Juveniles are similar to adult females. [3]

Distribution and habitat

This species is restricted to the Brazilian states of Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe and apparently to northern Bahia, though there are no recent records. The species is thought to be found only in the Atlantic Forest. Reports from eastern Pará are possibly inaccurate, and there is one specimen which was attributed to Guyana, although its true origin is unknown. [1] [7]

The long-tailed woodnymph inhabits coastal lowland habitats such as coastal rainforest, cerrado, plantations and parks throughout its Atlantic forest range, from sea-level to 550 metres (1,800 ft). It forages at low to medium heights, generally at the periphery of vegetation. [3]

Ecology and behavior

The long-tailed woodnymph feeds on the nectar of flowering vines, cacti, epiphytes, trees and bushes, occasionally foraging on invertebrates captured in the air. Male establishes feeding territories which are aggressively defended against intraspecific and interspecific intruders. [1]

Breeding takes place between November and February. The woodnymph builds a cup-shaped nest made of fine rootlets and moss, tightly tied together by a spider's web. The nest is attached to a horizontal branch in a shrub or small tree, usually protected by overhanging leaves, 1.5–2.5 metres (4.9–8.2 ft) above the ground. The female typically lays two eggs, with an incubation period of 14–15 days, often carried by the female. [3]

Conservation status

Thalurania watertonii is listed as Endangered by the IUCN Red List, due to the ongoing reduction of its populations, mainly due to the extensive and continuing loss of habitat and the depletion of lowland forests in north-eastern Brazil. [1] Its occupation area is currently less than 500 km2. The population is severely fragmented, with the total population estimated to be less than 2,500 individuals, and each subpopulation contains less than 250 of them. [8] [9]

Related Research Articles

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

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-whiskered hermit</span> Species of hummingbird

The white-whiskered hermit is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is found in Colombia and Ecuador.

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

The blue-tailed emerald is a hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in tropical and subtropical South America east of the Andes from Colombia east to the Guianas and Trinidad, and south to northern Bolivia and central Brazil.

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

Costa's hummingbird is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It breeds in the arid, semi-arid and Mediterranean climate zones of the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, mainly in Southern California and the Baja California Peninsula. Like many hummingbirds in the region, it can be found on the Pacific coast, often visiting backyard hummingbird feeders and gardens with flowering plants, as well as in more wild ecosystems, such as the conifer and oak forests, chaparral, and high desert habitats found further inland. When not in the US, the species often winters in western Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hooded visorbearer</span> Species of bird in Brazil

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">Amethyst woodstar</span> Species of hummingbird

The amethyst woodstar is a species of hummingbird in tribe Mellisugini of subfamily Trochilinae, the "bee hummingbirds". It is found in every mainland South American country except Chile and Uruguay and has been recorded as a vagrant on Trinidad.

<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">Stripe-breasted starthroat</span> Species of hummingbird

The stripe-breasted starthroat is a species of hummingbird in the "mountain gems", tribe Lampornithini in subfamily Trochilinae. It is endemic to Brazil.

<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">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">Woodnymph</span> Genus of birds

Woodnymphs are hummingbirds in the genus Thalurania. Males are green and violet-blue, while females are green with white-tipped tails and at least partially whitish underparts. Both sexes have an almost straight, entirely black bill and little or no white post-ocular spot. They are found in forest and tall second growth. The species in this genus are almost entirely allo- or parapatric, and a species is present virtually everywhere in the tropical humid Neotropics.

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

The fork-tailed woodnymph is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in every mainland South American country except Chile and Uruguay.

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

The violet-capped woodnymph is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

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

The Mexican woodnymph is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae endemic to western Mexico. It lives in subtropical or tropical moist lowland/foothill forest and plantations, feeding on flower nectar and insects. Mexican woodnymphs are vulnerable, threatened by habitat loss through deforestation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sooty barbthroat</span> Species of hummingbird

The sooty barbthroat is a hummingbird species in the family Trochilidae. It is found in Brazil and French Guiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fiery topaz</span> Species of hummingbird

The fiery topaz is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It has brilliant iridescent plumage and resides in northern South America, where it consumes nectar and insects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saltinho Biological Reserve</span>

Saltinho Biological Reserve is a Biological Reserve near Tamandaré in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. It contains a sample of the tropical Atlantic Forest biome.

<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 far-northern Peru.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 BirdLife International (2017). "Thalurania watertonii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017: e.T22687402A119410693. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T22687402A119410693.en . Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  2. ↑ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Schuchmann, Karl-Ludwig; Kirwan, Guy M.; Sharpe, Chris (4 March 2020). "Long-tailed Woodnymph (Thalurania watertonii)". In del Hoyo, J.; Elliot, A.; Sargatal, J.; Christie, D. A.; de Juana, E. (eds.). Birds of the World. Ithaca, NY, USA: Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
  4. 1 2 "Long-tailed Woodnymph". American Bird Conservancy. 12 January 2018. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
  5. ↑ Las-Casas, Flor Maria Guedes; Azevedo-Júnior, Severino Mendes de (10 November 2010). "Dimorfismo sexual de tamanho no beija-flor-de-costas-violetas Thalurania watertonii (Bourcier, 1847) (Aves: Trochilidae): implicações ecológicas". Ornithologia (in Portuguese). 3 (2): 83–89. ISSN   1809-2969.
  6. ↑ Mobbs, A. J. (1982). Hummingbirds. Hindhead, Surrey: Triplegate. ISBN   978-0862300494.
  7. ↑ Livro Vermelho da Fauna Brasileira Ameaçada de Extinção (PDF) (in Brazilian Portuguese). Vol. III–Aves (1 ed.). Brasília, DF: ICMBio/MMA. 2018.
  8. ↑ "Aves - Thalurania watertonii (Bourcier, 1847) - Beija-flor-de-costas-violetas". www.icmbio.gov.br (in Brazilian Portuguese). Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  9. ↑ "Long-tailed Woodnymph (Thalurania watertonii) - BirdLife species factsheet". datazone.birdlife.org.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.