Midget flowerpecker

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Midget flowerpecker
Dicaeum aeneum - The Birds of New Guinea (cropped).jpg
Illustration by William Matthew Hart
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Dicaeidae
Genus: Dicaeum
Species:
D. aeneum
Binomial name
Dicaeum aeneum
Pucheran, 1853

The midget flowerpecker (Dicaeum aeneum) is a species of bird in the family Dicaeidae. It is found in the Solomon Islands archipelago. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical mangrove forest, and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.

Contents

The midget flowerpecker or Dicaeum aeneum is a small bird located in the Solomon Islands. The females have dark wings with a white and yellow stomach. The males have the same features but have a red upper chest. Their call is a short and high-pitched tik-tik-tik. This species does not migrate and has inhabited the Solomon Islands since 1900. The number of midget flowerpeckers is unknown, but they are a stable species.

Field Identification

The midget flowerpeckers is a male-nominated race, meaning it has several subspecies and the nominated species is the one used to describe the species as a whole. The male flowerpecker is 8 cm and around 7.1 to 8.8 grams. [2] The head, sides of the throat, breasts, and upper abdomen are all light grey. The crown of its head and upper parts are dark grey with hues of blue. Its upper throat, lower abdomen, and undertail are white. On the center breast is a bright red patch of red, contrasting with the rest of its body, The flank of the bird is a shade of yellow. Female midget flowerpeckers do not have the vibrant red patch on their chest and instead have green flanks. Juvenile midget flowerpeckers do not have the blue hue and female juveniles have a more grey-toned throat.

History

The midget flowerpecker is a part of the Dicaeidae bird family. It is a subspecies is the Dicaeum. They live in the Solomon Islands year-round, located in the western South Pacific Ocean. The first sighting of the bird was in 1900, and they have been cited continually to this day. There are currently 312 recorded observations of the midget flowerpecker. [3] Most sightings of the midget flowerpeckers are observed in pairs or small groups. There is no global threat to these birds and they are sighted frequently in the Solomon Islands.

Habitat and Diet

The midget flowerpecker's habitat is in the forest of the Solomon Islands. They prefer high mountains and forests, but can also be found in the lower parts of the forest. Their diet consists of insects and fruits. Common insects in the Solomon Islands include the painted grasshawk, pacific giant centipede, and the fiery skimmer. Common fruits include carambola, pawpaw, and the golden apple. They hover while feeding and forage in groups. [4]

Sounds

The midget flowerpecker makes a short, high-pitched, 'tik-tik-tik-tik' and a very high-pitched 'sweet sweet'. Their calls are in a trisyllabic pattern, which then develops into a twitter. Their chirps can resemble the sound of a snapping twig. [5]

Conservation Status

The conservation status of this bird is that it is not threatened globally. Since this bird is restricted to a certain region, there is no global threat. They are also very common in their region. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flowerpecker</span> Family of birds

The flowerpeckers are a family, Dicaeidae, of passerine birds. The family comprises two genera, Dicaeum and Prionochilus, with 50 species in total. The family has sometimes been included in an enlarged sunbird family Nectariniidae. The berrypeckers of the family Melanocharitidae and the painted berrypeckers, Paramythiidae, were once lumped into this family as well. The family is distributed through tropical southern Asia and Australasia from India east to the Philippines and south to Australia. The family has a wide range occupying a wide range of environments from sea level to montane habitats. Some species, such as the mistletoebird of Australia, are recorded as being highly nomadic over parts of their range.

<i>Dicaeum</i> Genus of birds

Dicaeum is a genus of birds in the flowerpecker family Dicaeidae, a group of passerines tropical southern Asia and Australasia from India east to the Philippines and south to Australia. The genus Dicaeum is closely related to the genus Prionochilus and forms a monophyletic group.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olive-crowned flowerpecker</span> Species of bird

The olive-crowned flowerpecker is a small passerine bird in the flowerpecker family, Dicaeidae. It is found in far western New Guinea and on adjacent islands.

Prigogine's sunbird or Prigogine's double-collared sunbird is a species of bird in the family Nectariniidae.

The Henderson fruit dove, Henderson Island fruit dove or scarlet-capped fruit dove is a species of bird in the family Columbidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apo sunbird</span> Species of bird

The Apo sunbird is a species of bird in the sunbird family Nectariniidae. It is endemic to the island of Mindanao in the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-crowned flowerpecker</span> Species of bird

The yellow-crowned flowerpecker is a species of bird in the family Dicaeidae. It is endemic to Luzon Island in the Philippines. The flame-crowned flowerpecker, which is endemic to Mindanao, was formerly considered conspecific. Its natural habitat is tropical moist montane forest. It is becoming rare due to habitat loss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grey-sided flowerpecker</span> Species of bird

The grey-sided flowerpecker is a species of bird in the family Dicaeidae. It is endemic to Indonesia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-vented flowerpecker</span> Species of bird in Asia

The yellow-vented flowerpecker is a species of bird in the family Dicaeidae. It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest. Along with D. melanoxanthum, D. agile, and D. everetti, it is often referred to as an “odd” Dicaeum species because of unique characteristics separating it from other species within the family. While most species have vestigial outermost primary feathers, those of the yellow-vented flowerpecker are elongated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fire-breasted flowerpecker</span> Species of bird

The fire-breasted flowerpecker is a species of bird in the family Dicaeidae found in the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Like other flowerpeckers, this tiny bird feeds on fruits and plays an important role in the dispersal of fruiting plants. Unlike many other species in the genus, this species has marked sexual dimorphism with the male having contrasting upper and lower parts with a distinctive bright orange breast patch. The female is dull coloured.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-chested flowerpecker</span> Species of bird

The red-chested flowerpecker or blue-cheeked flowerpecker is a species of bird in the family Dicaeidae. It is found on the Lesser Sundas. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.

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

The black-sided flowerpecker, also known as the Bornean flowerpecker, is a species of bird in the family Dicaeidae. It is endemic to the island of Borneo, where it is found in the mountains, primarily above 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in elevation. The species is sexually dimorphic. The male has glossy blue-black upperparts, with a scarlet throat and breast, a dark grey upper belly, olive flanks, a white lower belly, and a buffy vent and undertail coverts. The female is olive-green above and greyish below, with buffy flanks and a whitish throat. It inhabits a range of forest habitats, including primary and secondary montane forest, kerangas forest, and scrub, and is also occasionally found in gardens. It feeds primarily on small fruits—particularly mistletoe berries—as well as seeds, nectar, and various invertebrates. It builds a nest of moss, camouflaged on the outside with lichens and lined with the pith of tree ferns. The International Union for Conservation of Nature rates it as a species of least concern. Though its numbers have not been quantified, the black-sided flowerpecker is said to be common throughout much of its range, and any declines are not thought to be precipitous. However, destruction of forest for palm plantations may impact it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whiskered flowerpecker</span> Species of bird

The whiskered flowerpecker is a species of bird in the family Dicaeidae. It is endemic to the island of Mindanao in the Philippines.

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

The scarlet-headed flowerpecker is a bird species in the family of Dicaeidae. It is a species endemic to Indonesia. This flowerpecker inhabits a few islands of the archipelago of Indonesia. It is mainly observed in open wooden areas, gardens, and mangroves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashy flowerpecker</span> Species of bird

The ashy flowerpecker is a species of bird in the family Dicaeidae. It is endemic to Indonesia where it occurs on Seram, Ambon and nearby islands in the Banda Arc. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamaican euphonia</span> Species of bird


The Jamaican euphonia is a species of bird in the family Fringillidae. Jamaican euphonias are small and have a varying appearance depending on their gender and age. They are the only species of Euphonia that reside in Jamaica and have received the nickname of “Short-Mouth Bluequit” from Jamaican locals. These birds do not migrate anywhere and can be found throughout the island in wooded areas, shrublands, gardens, orchards, and hilly lowlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-breasted flowerpecker</span> Species of bird

The yellow-breasted flowerpecker is a species of bird in the family Dicaeidae. It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, and Thailand. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.

<i>Prionochilus</i> Genus of birds

Prionochilus is one of two genera flowerpecker that make up the family Dicaeidae. The genus differs from the other flowerpecker genus, Dicaeum in having ten long primary feathers in the wing and in the character of its calls. A study comparing the calls of the two genera suggested that Prionochilus is basal to Dicaeum. The genus contains six species, in contrast to the 44 species in the genus Dicaeum. They have a more restricted distribution than Dicaeum, occurring in the Philippines, Borneo, Sumatra, Java and the Malay Peninsula. The name Prionochilus is derived from the Greek prion for saw, and kheilos for lip, referring to the minute serrations along the edge of the bill.

References

  1. BirdLife International (2016). "Dicaeum aeneum". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T22717555A94539233. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22717555A94539233.en . Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  2. Cheke, Robert; Mann, Clive (2020). "Midget Flowerpecker (Dicaeum aeneum), version 1.0". Birds of the World. doi:10.2173/bow.midflo1.01species_shared.bow.project_name. ISSN   2771-3105.
  3. "Planned Outage for Some Cornell Lab Services". Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. 2024-03-18. Retrieved 2024-03-21.
  4. Cheke, Robert; Mann, Clive (2020). "Midget Flowerpecker (Dicaeum aeneum), version 1.0". Birds of the World. doi:10.2173/bow.midflo1.01species_shared.bow.project_name. ISSN   2771-3105.
  5. "Planned Outage for Some Cornell Lab Services". Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. 2024-03-18. Retrieved 2024-03-21.
  6. Cheke, Robert; Mann, Clive (2020). "Midget Flowerpecker (Dicaeum aeneum), version 1.0". Birds of the World. doi:10.2173/bow.midflo1.01species_shared.bow.project_name. ISSN   2771-3105.