Tumbes Hummingbird
Thaumasius baeri
A plain hummingbird found in dry forest and scrub in southwestern Ecuador and northwestern Peru. It is dull green with light gray underparts, a white spot behind the eye, and a thick, slightly curved bill. Some birds show very faint spots on the throat. Similar to Spot-throated Hummingbird, but throat markings are much less conspicuous or entirely absent. Ranges are also different; Tumbes Hummingbird is found only on the Pacific side of the Andes and does not reach the Marañon drainage.
Identification
The Tumbes hummingbird is 8 to 11 cm (3.1 to 4.3 in) long and weighs about 4.5 g (0.16 oz). The sexes are essentially alike. They have a nearly straight black bill. Their upperparts are pale golden green and their underparts pale grayish that becomes white on the belly. The tail feathers are pale green; the inner ones have bronzy tips and the outer ones a dusky gray band near the end and tips that are whitish in the male and grayish in the female.
Taxonomy
This species was formerly placed in the genus Leucippus. A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2014 found that Leucippus was polyphyletic. To resolve the polyphyly the Tumbes hummingbird and the spot-throated hummingbird (Taphrospilus hypostictus) were moved by most taxonomic systems to the resurrected genus Thaumasius. However, BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World retains it in Leucippus.<p>The Tumbes hummingbird is monotypic.
- Scientific name
- Thaumasius baeri
- Authority
- (Simon, 1901)
- Order
- Apodiformes
- Family
- Unknown (not recognized as a bird species)
- Genus
- Thaumasius
Range and habitat
The Tumbes hummingbird is found in southwestern Ecuador's El Oro and Loja provinces and into northwestern Peru as far south as Lambayeque Department. It inhabits arid scrublands and the edges of deciduous forest in the Tumbes ecoregion. In elevation it ranges from sea level to 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in Ecuador and 1,275 m (4,200 ft) in Peru.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The Tumbes hummingbird is mostly sedentary though it may make some seasonal movements.<p>The Tumbes hummingbird forages for nectar from the understory to the mid-strata, though details of the flowering plants it favors are lacking. In addition to nectar, it feeds on small arthropods.<p>The Tumbes hummingbird's breeding phenology and nest have not been described.<p>The Tumbes hummingbird's song is "a complex series of chips and wheezing electric warbles." Its calls have been described as "a gruff dzee and chips."
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Red-faced Parrot
Hapalopsittaca pyrrhops
Rare and threatened parrot found only in high Andean forest in southern Ecuador and adjacent parts of northern Peru. Small compared to most other parrots. Red face is bordered with patches of blue and yellow. Wings are green and blue with red on the shoulder. Usually encountered in pairs or small flocks that fly over the forest and then disappear into the canopy, where they can be very hard to pick out as they forage for fruit behind the foliage.
Chinese Barbet
Psilopogon faber
A brightly-colored inhabitant of tropical forest canopies. Slow moving and well camouflaged; its loud and far-carrying song, combined with its secrecy, ensure that it is usually heard far more often than seen. If seen well, combination of red-and-yellow throat, blue ear, black crown, and green body distinguish it from any other similarly sized birds in its range. Regularly visits fruiting trees.
Planalto Slaty-Antshrike
Thamnophilus pelzelni
Small antshrike found in the lower and middle levels of dry forests and at the edge of humid forests. Males are gray overall with a black crown, and white-spotted black wings and tail. Females have a rusty crown, back, and tail, are buff below with white spots on the wings. The song is a loud and long series of around 20 descending notes that accelerate in pace. Doesn’t overlap in range with similar Sooretama Slaty-Antshrike and is told from Variable Antshrike by paler gray plumage in males and richer rufous color in females.
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