Tyrian Metaltail
Metallura tyrianthina
Small hummingbird with short, straight bill. Common in forests and edges in the temperate zone of the Andes from Venezuela to Bolivia. Generally dark green above and brownish below with a bright green throat. Females are buffier below than males. Look for the dark metallic-maroon tail (blue on birds in Santa Marta Mountains of Colombia). Visits feeders.
Identification
The Tyrian metaltail is 9 to 10 cm (3.5 to 3.9 in) long and weighs 2.7 to 5.1 g (0.10 to 0.18 oz). Both sexes of all subspecies have a short, straight, black bill. The male of the nominate subspecies has bottle green upperparts and gray underparts with pale fringes on the feathers. It has an emerald green throat and a slightly forked glistening bronze tail. The female is also bottle green above. Its throat and upper breast are ochre-orange with olive green spots and the lower breast and belly are whitish with green spots. Its outer tail feathers have whitish tips.<p>The plumage of the Tyrian metaltail's other subspecies differ from those of the nominate in some significant ways. M. t. districta has a violet tail and the female's underparts are not spotted. Both sexes of M. t. chloropogon have a coppery red tail; the male is otherwise almost completely black and the female has only a few spots on the throat and upper breast. M. t. oreopola's tail is golden red. The male's upperpart feathers have coppery bars near the ends and its underparts are green with pale fringes to the feathers. The female's throat and upper breast have few spots. M. t. quitensis has a longer bill than the nominate and a bronze-olive tail. M. t. septentrionalis's tail is purple-blue with green inclusions and the male's underparts are white with bronze-olive spots. M. t. smaragdinicollis has a violet tail like districta but the female's throat and upper breast are heavily spotted like those of the nominate.
Taxonomy
The Tyrian metaltail has these seven subspecies:<p>In the early twentieth century some authors treated M. t. chloropogon and M. t. smaragdinicollis as full species but that treatment has not been widely accepted.
- Scientific name
- Metallura tyrianthina
- Authority
- (Loddiges, 1832)
- Order
- Apodiformes
- Family
- Trochilidae
- Genus
- Metallura
Range and habitat
The subspecies of Tyrian metaltail are found thus:<p>The Tyrian metaltail inhabits the interior of several humid open landscapes including secondary forest, cloudforest, mossy treeline scrub, and elfin forest. It also occurs at the edges or in brushy parts of páramo. In elevation it ranges from 1,500 to 4,200 m (4,900 to 13,800 ft) but in most areas is most common between 2,500 to 3,300 m (8,200 to 10,800 ft) and in the Venezuelan coastal mountains at about 1,000 m (3,300 ft).
- Migration
- Vertical migration
Behavior
The Tyrian metaltail makes significant elevational movements between the seasons, even occurring casually as low as 600 m (2,000 ft) in Venezuela.<p>The Tyrian metaltail forages in the canopy of bushes and medium-sized trees, where males defend territories. It takes nectar from a variety of flowering plants, both by inserting its bill into the corolla while hovering or clinging to it and occasionally by piercing the base of the flower to "rob" nectar. It also feeds on small insects on the wing.<p>The Tyrian metaltail's breeding seasons vary widely along its north-south distribution. The female alone builds the nest, incubates the eggs, and cares for the young. It first breeds in its second year. The nest is an open cup made of moss, lichens, liverwort, and other plant material. It may be unlined or lined with soft cottony seeds. It is placed in a rocky niche or suspended from roots on an earthen or rocky bank. The clutch size is two eggs.<p>The Tyrian metaltail does not sing often; its song is "a repeated series of weak, high-pitched, lispy notes 'seek..sik..see..si..see..sip..see.......see..seek..see..see...'." It more often calls while chasing, "alternating stuttering trills and repeated phrases of squeaky notes 'trr..trr..trr..tsi-see-sew-sew...tsi-see-sew-sew...'". It also makes "a brief rattle and short 'tsit' or 'pit' notes.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Botteri's Sparrow
Peucaea botterii
Rather large sparrow with flat head and long bill. Dull brownish overall with darker streaks on back; subtle head pattern with slightly darker crown and eyeline. Primarily a Mexican species with two populations, both of which barely enter the U.S.; western birds brighter than eastern birds. Prefers grasslands with some shrubs. Shy, but perches conspicuously when singing. Similar to Cassin's Sparrow; note flatter head, longer bill, lack of eyering, and voice. Gives a series of sharp varied chips and a fast trill; much different than Cassin's sweet song.
Ochre-breasted Foliage-gleaner
Anabacerthia lichtensteini
Medium-sized foliage-gleaner with a short bill and attractive head pattern giving it a “cute” look. The crown and mask are gray-brown contrasting with a buffy-yellow eyebrow and throat. Buffy and unstreaked below and rufous-brown above. Found in the upper levels of forests and second growth. The song is a short fast trill.
Pavonine Quetzal
Pharomachrus pavoninus
Stocky green-and-red quetzal of lowland rainforest. Perches in the mid story of mature rainforest, where most common in upland (terra firme) areas and areas around water. Compared to trogons, is larger and chunkier, with a red bill and without a prominent eye ring. The green uppertail coverts are long, extending down the back side of the tail to just past the tail tip. Listen for its song, a repeated two note series of a breathy whistle followed by a soft note, “wheeew … tuck … wheeew … tuck …”.
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