| Mexican sheartail | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Apodiformes |
| Family: | Trochilidae |
| Genus: | Doricha |
| Species: | D. eliza |
| Binomial name | |
| Doricha eliza (Lesson, RP & Delattre, 1839) | |
The Mexican sheartail (Doricha eliza) is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is endemic to Mexico. [1]
This is a tiny bird, weighing only 2.4 to 2.6 g (0.085 to 0.092 oz). [3] All Mexican sheartails have a long, curved and black bill, a dull green crown and bronzy-green nape and upperparts. Males and females are sexual dimorphic. The male, which are 9 to 10 centimetres (3.5 to 3.9 in) long including the tail, have a white line behind the eye and a pink-purple throat with a white band below. His underparts are dull green, being clearer on median belly and feathers cover his undertail. The male's tail is long and deeply forked, usually held closed in repose. His inner tail are feathers green, the rest being black with cinnamon inner margins. Female, at 8.5 to 9 cm (3.3 to 3.5 in), has a whitish face with a blackish stripe behind the eye. Her throat, chest and belly are whitish with cinnamon tinges on the sides. The female has a shorter forked tail, the outer feathers of which are reddish with a subterminal black band and white tips. Immatures are similar to females. [4]
It is found only in Mexico where it lives in two disjunct populations, one in the center of Veracruz and the other in the northern coastal area of the Yucatan Peninsula. [1] Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, mangroves, rural gardens and urban areas. [1] A specific example of the mangrove habitat is the Petenes mangroves ecoregion in the Yucatán Peninsula. The species is threatened by habitat loss.
The Mexican sheartail feeds on nectar from flowers and has been seen visiting Ipomoea , Justicia and Helicteres guazumaefolia . [5] It also sometimes consumes small arthropods. In Veracruz, breeding takes place from May onwards and in Yucatán, between August and April. The tiny cup-shaped nest is made of lichens, spiders webs and the seeds of daisy family plants. Two eggs are laid and newly fledged young have been reported from Yucatán in February and March. [1]
The Mexican sheartail has a small range divided into parts. There are estimated to be fewer than 2500 individuals in the Veracruz population and somewhere between 6,000 and 10,000 in the Yucatán coastal strip. Both are suffering habitat degradation, the former from agricultural and residential development and the latter from development related to tourism. It is likely that the population of these birds is in decline and the IUCN have listed this species as being "Near Threatened". [1]
The lucifer sheartail or lucifer hummingbird is a medium-sized, 10 cm long, green hummingbird with a slightly curved bill and distinctive outward flare of its gorget feathers. Its habitat is in high-altitude areas of northern Mexico and southwestern United States. It winters in central Mexico.
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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.
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The black-crested coquette is a species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua.
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The Yucatan bobwhite or black-throated bobwhite is a species of bird in the family Odontophoridae. It is found in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland, coastal mangroves and heavily degraded former forest. A specific example of occurrence is the Petenes mangroves of the Yucatan.
The Yucatan amazon, also known as the yellow-lored amazon, Yucatan parrot or yellow-lored parrot is a species of amazon parrot in the family Psittacidae. It is found in Belize, Honduras, and Mexico. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, coastal mangroves and heavily degraded former forest; an example location of occurrence is in the Petenes mangroves ecoregion of the Yucatán Peninsula.
The Yucatan wren is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is endemic to Mexico. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, and it is only found on the narrow coastal strip of the northern Yucatán Peninsula. One of the key habitats of this species is the Petenes mangroves ecoregion of the Yucatan coast. It is threatened by habitat destruction.
The Yucatan vireo is a species of bird in the family Vireonidae.
The Mexican mouse opossum is a species of North American opossum in the family Didelphidae.
The curve-winged sabrewing is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is endemic to Mexico.
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Media related to Doricha eliza at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Doricha eliza at Wikispecies