Wedge-tailed hillstar | |
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Male above, female below | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Clade: | Strisores |
Order: | Apodiformes |
Family: | Trochilidae |
Genus: | Oreotrochilus |
Species: | O. adela |
Binomial name | |
Oreotrochilus adela (d'Orbigny, 1838) | |
Distribution in South America (green) |
The wedge-tailed hillstar (Oreotrochilus adela) is a species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Argentina and Bolivia. [3] [4]
The wedge-tailed hillstar is 11 to 13 cm (4.3 to 5.1 in) long and weighs 7.4 to 8.3 g (0.26 to 0.29 oz). Adults have a medium length slightly decurved black bill. Both sexes' upperparts are gray-brown with a bronzy cast. The adult male has a glittering green gorget and chestnut underparts with a bold black stripe down the center. The tail is graduated and mostly blue-black; all but the central feathers have cinnamon inner webs. The adult female's throat is white with grayish and green spots and the rest of the underparts are pale rufous. The tail is blue-black and the outer three or four pairs of feathers are white at their tips. Juveniles are similar to the adult female. [5]
The wedge-tailed hillstar is found from southern La Paz Department in central Bolivia south barely into Jujuy Province in extreme northwestern Argentina. It inhabits semi-arid to seasonally humid areas of the Andes below the puna grasslands. It typically is found among mesophytic shrubs and also often occurs in gullies or basins with stands of Polylepis trees. It will inhabit degraded habitat as long as Dodonaea bushes, taller bushes, and columnar cacti remain. In elevation it ranges from 2,600 to 4,000 metres (8,500 to 13,100 ft). [5]
The wedge-tailed hillstar's movements are not well known, but local movements and dispersal are suspected. [5]
The wedge-tailed hillstar feeds on nectar from flowering plants; examples include those of genera Barnadesia , Mutisia , and Puya ; various mistletoes; and columnar cacti. It also feeds on insects. [5]
The wedge-tailed hillstar's breeding season is not well defined but appears to span from October to perhaps February. Males court by alternately singing and displaying from an open perch and making a deep U-shaped flight. The nest is a large cup glued to a rock face. Nothing else is known about the species' breeding phenology. [5]
The male wedge-tailed hillstar's display song is "a medley of intense twittering notes interspersed by a distinct descending cadence". [5]
The IUCN originally assessed the wedge-tailed hillstar as Near Threatened but in 2021 reclassified it as being of Least Concern. Its population is estimated at between 2500 and 10,000 mature individuals and is believed to be decreasing. [1] It is generally uncommon but apparently can continue in degraded areas if brushy ravines remain. The human population is dense in its range and there are no protected areas. [5]
The wire-crested thorntail is a hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in humid forests in the Andean foothills of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and possibly Bolivia.
The volcano hummingbird is a species of hummingbird in tribe Mellisugini of subfamily Trochilinae, the "bee hummingbirds". It is found in Costa Rica and Panama. This hummingbird is the one that appears on the 20 thousand colones bill from Costa Rica.
The garden emerald is a small hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Costa Rica and Panama.
The wedge-tailed sabrewing is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Belize, Guatemala, Mexico, and possibly Honduras.
The green-tailed emerald is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is endemic to Venezuela.
The white-tailed starfrontlet is a species of hummingbird in the "brilliants", tribe Heliantheini in subfamily Lesbiinae. It is endemic to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta of northeastern Colombia.
The dusky hummingbird is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is endemic to Mexico.
The white-tailed emerald is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Costa Rica and Panama.
The green-breasted mountaingem or green-breasted mountain-gem is a species of hummingbird in tribe Lampornithini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Honduras and Nicaragua.
The garnet-throated hummingbird is a species of hummingbird in tribe Lampornithini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico.
The slender-tailed woodstar is a species of hummingbird in tribe Mellisugini of subfamily Trochilinae, the "bee hummingbirds". It is the only species placed in the genus Microstilbon. It is found in Argentina and Bolivia.
The hillstars are hummingbirds of the genus Oreotrochilus. They are native to the Andes in South America.
The Andean hillstar is a species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru.
The white-sided hillstar is a species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile.
The black-breasted hillstar is a species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is endemic to Peru.
The Peruvian piedtail, locally called Colibrí Colipinto Peruano, is a species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is endemic to Peru.
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 green-headed hillstar is a species of hummingbird found in the Andes of southern Ecuador and northern and central Peru. It is one of 6 species in the genus Oreotrochilus, and can be distinguished from its relatives by subtle differences in plumage coloration. The green-headed hillstar received its name due to its bronze and green crown and gorget of bright emerald green plumage. The species was first discovered by English ornithologist Osbert Salvin in 1895 and named after Polish ornithologist Jean Stanislaus Stolzmann.
The curve-winged sabrewing is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is endemic to Mexico.
The green-backed hillstar, formerly included in the white-tailed hillstar, is a species of hummingbird in the "brilliants", tribe Heliantheini in subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.