Vervain hummingbird

Last updated

Vervain hummingbird
Vervain hummingbird (Mellisuga minima).jpg
In Jamaica
CITES Appendix II (CITES) [2]
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Apodiformes
Family: Trochilidae
Genus: Mellisuga
Species:
M. minima
Binomial name
Mellisuga minima
Mellisuga minima map.svg
Synonyms

Trochilus minimusLinnaeus, 1758

The vervain hummingbird (Mellisuga minima) is a species of hummingbird in tribe Mellisugini of subfamily Trochilinae, the "bee hummingbirds". It is found on Hispaniola (split between the Dominican Republic and Haiti) and Jamaica. [3] [4]

Contents

Taxonomy and systematics

The vervain hummingbird was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Trochilus minimus. [5] Linnaeus based his description on a bird that had been described and illustrated in 1747 by the English naturalist George Edwards. [6] The type locality is Jamaica. [7] The vervain hummingbird is now placed together with the tiny Cuban bee hummingbird in the genus Mellisuga that was introduced by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760. [8] [3]

Two subspecies of vervain hummingbird are recognised, the nominate M. m. minima (Linnaeus, 1758) and M. m. vielloti (Shaw, 1812). [3]

Description

The vervain hummingbird is perhaps the second-smallest bird in the world after the smallest, the bee hummingbird, though some other tiny ones are close to it in size. It is about 6 cm (2.4 in) long, including the 1 cm (0.39 in) bill, and weighs about 2 to 2.4 g (0.071 to 0.085 oz). The sexes are nearly alike but for their tails and the subspecies have only subtle plumage differences. All have a short, straight, dull black bill. Males are unique among hummingbirds by not having any iridescent feathering. [9] [10]

Males have dull metallic green uppersides that are almost black on the rump and uppertail coverts. The chin, throat, and chest are pale gray lightly spotted with darker gray; the belly and undertail coverts are dark metallic green. Its tail is entirely black and slightly forked. Females are dark metallic green to bluish green above and on the flanks. The throat is pale gray that darkens down the underparts to the vent area. The tail is rounded, not forked like the male's. The base of its central feathers are dark green and the rest of their length is black. The other tail feathers are black with varying amounts of white on their tips. [10]

Distribution and habitat

The nominate subspecies of vervain hummingbird is found on Jamaica. M. m. vielloti is found in both the Dominican Republic and Haiti on the island of Hispaniola and also smaller nearby islands. [3] There is one sight report from Puerto Rico. [11] The species inhabits almost every available landscape throughout its range except the interior of dense montane forest. It occurs in gallery forest, dry forest, desert scrub-shrub, gardens, and even urban areas. In elevation it ranges from sea level to at least 1,600 m (5,200 ft). [10]

Behavior

Movement

The vervain hummingbird does not migrate in the conventional sense but appears to make elevational movements in response to food availability. [10]

Feeding

The vervain hummingbird forages for nectar at a very wide variety of flowering plants though it typically feeds at small, low-yield flowers. It does not defend feeding territories. It typically cocks its tail up when feeding. In addition to nectar, it captures small insects by hawking from a perch or by hovering in a patch of flying insects. [10]

Breeding

Male vervain hummingbirds make what appears to be courtship display flights, a flat horizontal circle by itself or with dives between two circles. The species' breeding season spans from December to August. The female makes a tiny cup nest of soft material such as hair and plant down covered with lichen or moss; it is held together and anchored to a branch with spiderweb. Nests are typically somewhat hidden and are often within 1 m (3 ft) of the ground. The clutch is two eggs that are among the smallest of all birds', with an average length of 1 cm (0.39 in) and weighing about 0.38 g (0.013 oz). The female incubates them for 16 to 19 days and fledging occurs about 21 to 25 days after hatch. [10] [9]

Vocalization

Male vervain hummingbirds are highly vocal. The sing during most of the day from exposed perches in their territory and also during the courtship display and during encounters with other males. The song is complex, a mix of syllables some of which may be repeated during a song bout. The songs of the two subspecies are subtly different but the differences might be within the range of individual birds' repertoires. Both sexes make a "dry 'chittering' scolding sound" during agonistic encounters. [10]

Status

The IUCN has assessed the vervain hummingbird as being of Least Concern. It has large range, and though its population size is not known it is believed to be stable. [1] It is widespread and uses many habitats including human-altered areas both for food and breeding. No specific threats have been identified. [10]

Related Research Articles

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

The ruby-topaz hummingbird, commonly referred to simply as the ruby topaz, is a species of hummingbird in the subfamily Polytminae, the mangoes. It is found in Aruba, Bolivia, Bonaire, Brazil, Colombia, Curaçao, French Guiana, Guyana, Panama, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-billed streamertail</span> Species of hummingbird

The red-billed streamertail, also known as the doctor bird, scissor-tail or scissors tail hummingbird, is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is endemic to Jamaica and is the national bird of the country.

<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">Snowcap</span> Species of hummingbird

The snowcap is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long-tailed hermit</span> Species of bird

The long-tailed hermit is a large hummingbird that is a resident breeder in Venezuela, the Guianas, and north-eastern Brazil. This species was formerly referred to as the eastern long-tailed hermit.

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

The glittering-throated emerald is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, the Guianas, Peru, and Venezuela.

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

The plain-bellied emerald is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Brazil, the Guianas, and Venezuela.

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

The Hispaniolan mango is a species of hummingbird in the subfamily Polytminae. It is endemic to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola.

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

The Jamaican mango is a species of hummingbird in the subfamily Polytminae. It is endemic to Jamaica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue-headed hummingbird</span>

The blue-headed hummingbird is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found only on the islands of Dominica and Martinique in the Lesser Antilles.

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

The green-throated carib is a species of hummingbird in the subfamily Polytminae. It is found in Puerto Rico and most of the Lesser Antilles.

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

The purple-throated carib is a species of hummingbird in the subfamily Polytminae. It is resident on most of the islands of the Lesser Antilles and has occurred as a vagrant both further north and south.

<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">White-tailed hummingbird</span>

The white-tailed hummingbird is a Near Threatened species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is endemic to southwestern Mexico.

<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">Pale-tailed barbthroat</span> Species of hummingbird

The pale-tailed barbthroat is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is found throughout much of the Amazon Basin from the eastern Andean foothills to the Atlantic Ocean.

<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">Crimson topaz</span> Species of hummingbird

The crimson topaz is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is found in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela.

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

The black-billed streamertail is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is endemic to eastern Jamaica.

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

The yellow-billed amazon, also called the yellow-billed parrot or Jamaican amazon, is a species of parrot in the family Psittacidae. It is a predominantly green parrot with a short tail and pink throat and neck. It is endemic to Jamaica, where its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical mangrove forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, plantations, and rural gardens. It is threatened by habitat loss and illegal trapping of wild birds for the pet trade.

References

  1. 1 2 BirdLife International (2016). "Mellisuga minima". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T22688229A93187970. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22688229A93187970.en . Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  2. "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Gill, F.; Donsker, D.; Rasmussen, P., eds. (January 2022). "Hummingbirds". IOC World Bird List. v 12.1. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  4. HBW and BirdLife International (2020) Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world Version 5. Available at: http://datazone.birdlife.org/userfiles/file/Species/Taxonomy/HBW-BirdLife_Checklist_v5_Dec20.zip [.xls zipped 1 MB] retrieved 27 May 2021
  5. Linnaeus, Carl (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis (in Latin). Vol. 1 (10th ed.). Holmiae (Stockholm): Laurentii Salvii. p. 121.
  6. Edwards, George (1747). A Natural History of Uncommon Birds. Vol. Part 2. London: Printed for the author at the College of Physicians. p. 105.
  7. Peters, James Lee, ed. (1945). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 5. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 136.
  8. Brisson, Mathurin Jacques (1760). Ornithologie, ou, Méthode contenant la division des oiseaux en ordres, sections, genres, especes & leurs variétés (in French and Latin). Vol. 1. Paris: Jean-Baptiste Bauche. Vol. 1, p. 40, Vol. 3, p. 694.
  9. 1 2 Steven Latta; Christopher Rimmer; Allan Keith; James Wiley; Herbert Raffaele; Kent McFarland; Eladio Fernandez (15 May 2010). Birds of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Princeton University Press. pp. 135–. ISBN   978-0-691-11891-8 . Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Clark, C. J. (2020). Vervain Hummingbird (Mellisuga minima), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.verhum1.01 retrieved July 27, 2022
  11. Check-list of North American Birds (seventh ed.). Washington: American Ornithologist's Union. 1998. p. 310.

Further reading