Purple-throated Carib
Eulampis jugularis
A large hummingbird with a markedly downcurved bill. It appears largely black in most lighting conditions, though its shimmering green wings are usually still visible. Those green wings along with a more strongly curved bill, help separate this species from the Green-throated Carib. Mostly found in forests, occasionally at forest edges, and infrequently elsewhere. Calls include a sharp high tsweet and a variety of twitters.
Identification
The purple-throated carib is 11 to 12 cm (4.3 to 4.7 in) long. Males weigh 9 to 12 g (0.32 to 0.42 oz) and females 7 to 10 g (0.25 to 0.35 oz); specimens of unrecorded sex weighed 6.7 to 10.8 g (0.24 to 0.38 oz). The adult male and female have the same plumage. Their crown and back are velvety black, the throat and chest fiery purplish red, the wings bright golden green, and the tail and its upper and lower coverts metallic greenish blue. The male has a medium length slightly decurved bill; the female's is longer and more strongly curved. Immatures have an orange throat and chest with red speckles.
Taxonomy
The purple-throated carib was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1766 in the twelfth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Trochilus jugularis. Linnaeus based his short description on the "red breasted humming bird" that had been described and illustrated by the English naturalist George Edwards and the "colibry violet de Cayenne" that had been described and illustrated by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson. Edwards believed his specimen had come from Suriname, Brisson believed his specimen had come from Cayenne, but both authors were mistaken, as the purple-throated carib is only found on the islands of the Lesser Antilles. The specific epithet jugularis is Medieval Latin for "of the throat". The purple-throated carib is the type species of the genus Eulampis that was introduced in 1831 by the German zoologist Friedrich Boie and which it shares with the green-throated carib (E. holosericeus). The species is monotypic: No subspecies are recognized.
- Scientific name
- Eulampis jugularis
- Authority
- (Linnaeus, 1766)
- Order
- Caprimulgiformes
- Family
- Trochilidae
- Genus
- Eulampis
Range and habitat
The purple-throated carib is resident on Antigua, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Montserrat, Saba, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and Sint Eustatius. It has occurred as a vagrant in Barbados, Barbuda, Grenada and the Greater Antilles. It inhabits the interior and edges of primary and secondary forest, mostly at elevations between 800 and 1,200 m (2,600 and 3,900 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The purple-throated carib is generally sedentary. On St. Lucia and St. Vincent it has been recorded at sea level in late May.<p>The purple-throated carib feeds primarily on nectar of flowering trees from the middle levels to the treetops. Males defend flower-centered feeding territories year round and females during the non-breeding season. The species also feeds on small arthropods, catching them on the wing and gleaning them from leaves, flowers, and spider webs.<p>The purple-throated carib nests mostly between February and May, but the season may start as early as January and extend to September. It makes a small cup nest from soft plant fibers and spider silk, and sometimes attaches lichens and bark strips to the outside. It attaches the nest to a vertical tree branch, typically between 3 and 5 m (10 and 16 ft) above the ground. Females are strongly territorial around the nest. The clutch is two eggs. The incubation time is 17 to 19 days with fledging 17 to 20 days after hatch.<p>The purple-throated carib's calls include "strident 'tsip' and sharp 'chewp'" notes that it repeats rapidly when agitated.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
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