Volcano hummingbird | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Clade: | Strisores |
Order: | Apodiformes |
Family: | Trochilidae |
Genus: | Selasphorus |
Species: | S. flammula |
Binomial name | |
Selasphorus flammula Salvin, 1865 | |
The volcano hummingbird (Selasphorus flammula) is a species of hummingbird in tribe Mellisugini of subfamily Trochilinae, the "bee hummingbirds". It is found in Costa Rica and Panama. [3] [4] This hummingbird is the one that appears on the 20 thousand colones bill from Costa Rica.
The volcano hummingbird has three subspecies, the nominate S. f. flammula, S. f. torridus, and S. f. simoni. [3] All three have at times been treated as color morphs rather than subspecies and at other times as individual species. [5]
The volcano hummingbird is 7.5 to 8 cm (3.0 to 3.1 in) long. Males weigh about 2.5 g (0.088 oz) and females 2.8 g (0.099 oz). Both sexes of all subspecies have a short, straight, black bill and a small white spot behind the eye. The adult male of the nominate subspecies has bronze-green upperparts and rufous-edged black outer tail feathers. Its gorget is mauve-purple and the rest of the underparts mostly white. The sides of the breast have a buffy to pale cinnamon wash and green speckles. The adult female is also bronze-green above. Its central tail feathers are green and the rest have rufous bases, a black band near the end, and buffy to white tips. The throat is whitish with dusky bronze speckles and the rest of the underparts are like the male's. Juveniles are similar to the adult female but have buffy fringes on the upperparts' feathers. [5]
Both sexes of subspecies S. f. torridus are whiter below than the nominate, and males have a purplish-gray gorget. Both sexes of S. f. simoni are buffier below than the nominate and have more black on the tail. The male's gorget is rose red. [5]
The nominate subspecies of volcano hummingbird is found on Volcanoes Irazú and Turrialba in central Costa Rica. Subspecies S. f. torridus is found on the Cordillera de Talamanca of southern Costa Rica and on Volcán Barú in extreme western Panama. S. f. simoni is found on Volcanes Poás and Barva (or Barba) in central Costa Rica. [3]
The species inhabits a variety of semi-open to open habitats on high mountain slopes. Examples include páramo, second growth on landslide scars or ashfall areas, scrubby pastures, and the edges of elfin forest and taller forest. It is found mostly between elevations of 2,000 and 3,500 m (6,600 and 11,500 ft) but occurs locally down to 1,800 m (5,900 ft) and seasonally as low as 1,350 m (4,400 ft). [5]
The volcano hummingbird breeds at the higher elevations of its range, and after breeding some descend much lower and may even move to an adjacent mountain. The latter allows some mixing of the subspecies. [5]
The volcano hummingbird forages for nectar at a wide variety of flowers, mostly small ones on shrubs, vines, herbs, and small trees. It also feeds from larger flowers that bees or flowerpiercers (Diglossa) have made holes in. Males commonly defend clusters of flowers and females do so less frequently. In addition to nectar the species feeds on small arthropods taken on the wing or, for the female especially, by gleaning from foliage or picking from spider webs. [5]
The volcano hummingbird's breeding season spans from August or September to February. The male defends small territories that are independent of nectar resources though flowers are usually nearby, and makes dive displays directed at females. The female makes a cup nest of plant down and spider web covered with moss and lichens. It is placed at the outermost end of a twig, usually between 1 and 5 m (3 and 20 ft) above the ground. Nests are sometimes also attached to a rootly drooping from a projecting earth bank such as by a road. The incubation period and time to fledging are not known. [5]
The volcano hummingbird makes "soft chip notes" while foraging. Males make "a thin whistled 'teeeeeuu'" whose purpose is not noted and "a twittering 'scolding'" call during agonistic encounters with other males. During the dive display the male's tail feathers make a series of broad-frequency pulses. [5]
The IUCN has assessed the volcano hummingbird as being of Least Concern. It has a fairly large range and an apparently stable population between 20,000 and 50,000 mature individuals. [1] All three subspecies occur in protected areas, and outside them they might benefit from human activity as they are more abundant in open areas than forest. [5]
The violet sabrewing is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of the subfamily Trochilinae. It is found from Mexico to Panama.
The broad-tailed hummingbird is a medium-sized hummingbird species found in highland regions from western United States and Western Canada to Mexico and Guatemala.
The long-billed starthroat is a species of hummingbird in the "mountain gems", tribe Lampornithini in subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Mexico, Central America, Trinidad, and all but the four southernmost countries of South America.
The blue-throated mountaingem, also known as the blue-throated mountain-gem or blue-throated hummingbird is a species of hummingbird in tribe Lampornithini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in the United States and Mexico.
The magenta-throated woodstar is a species of hummingbird in tribe Mellisugini of subfamily Trochilinae, the "bee hummingbirds". It is found in Costa Rica and Panama.
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.
The scintillant hummingbird is a hummingbird endemic to Costa Rica and Panama. This species is replaced at higher elevations by its relative, the volcano hummingbird, S. flammula.
The purple-throated mountaingem is a species of hummingbird in tribe Lampornithini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Panama.
The bronze-tailed plumeleteer is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Panama.
The green-crowned brilliant is species of hummingbird in the "brilliants", tribe Heliantheini in subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Panama. It is also known as the green-fronted brilliant.
The plain-capped starthroat is a species of hummingbird in the "mountain gems", tribe Lampornithini in subfamily Trochilinae. It is found from Mexico to Costa Rica.
The violet-tailed sylph is a species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Colombia and Ecuador.
The snowy-bellied hummingbird, also known as snowy-breasted hummingbird, is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in mostly in Costa Rica and Panama with a few records in Colombia.
The wine-throated hummingbird is a species of hummingbird in tribe Mellisugini of subfamily Trochilinae, the "bee hummingbirds". It is found in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico.
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 stripe-tailed hummingbird is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found from southeastern Mexico to Panama.
The scaly-breasted hummingbird or scaly-breasted sabrewing is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama.
The glow-throated hummingbird is an Endangered species of hummingbird in tribe Mellisugini of subfamily Trochilinae, the "bee hummingbirds". It is endemic to a small area of Panama.
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.
The Talamanca hummingbird or admirable hummingbird is a species of hummingbird in the "mountain gems", tribe Lampornithini in subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Costa Rica and Panama.