Velvet-browed Brilliant
Heliodoxa xanthogonys
Large, dark hummingbird. Common in tepui highlands. Male is mostly shining green, especially on the throat, breast, and forehead; female is white below with extensive green spotting. Both sexes have conspicuous white spot behind eye. Occurs in a wide variety of habitats including tall forest, edge, and open scrub at middle and high elevations (above 800 m) in tepui region. Feeds on nectar and defends patches of flowers from other hummingbirds. Gives loud, sharp chip note while foraging. No other large, green hummingbird occurs in its limited range.
Identification
The velvet-browed brilliant is 10 to 11 cm (3.9 to 4.3 in) long including its approximately 2 cm (0.8 in) bill, and weighs 5.5 to 7.5 g (0.19 to 0.26 oz). Both sexes have a straight bill; the maxilla is blackish and the mandible orange with a dark tip. Both have a small white spot behind the eye.<p>Males of the nominate subspecies have a glittering golden- to emerald green central crown and a velvety blackish supercilium. The rest of the face, the hindneck, and the upperparts are dark golden green. The upper throat has a glittering violet-blue patch, the breast and belly are dark golden green, and the undertail coverts are greenish with narrow gray and rufous edges. The uppertail coverts and central tail feathers are bronze- to emerald green and the rest of the tail blackish green. Females are generally duller, with less iridescence, and do not have the black supercilium or the violet throat patch. They have a white "moustache", and most of the underparts are whitish with greenish spots. The tail feathers have white tips.<p>Males of subspecies H. x. williardi have longer wings and tail than the nominate but are otherwise similar. Females have less green and more white on their underparts, with no green spots on the belly. The tail is emerald green with broad white edges to the feathers.
Taxonomy
The velvet-browed brilliant has two subspecies, the nominate H. x. xanthogonys and H. x. williardi.
- Scientific name
- Heliodoxa xanthogonys
- Authority
- Salvin & Godman, 1882
- Order
- Apodiformes
- Family
- Trochilidae
- Genus
- Heliodoxa
Range and habitat
The nominate subspecies of velvet-browed brilliant is found in the highlands and tepuis where Venezuela, Guyana, and Brazil meet. In addition, there are a few records in Suriname. Subspecies H. x. williardi is found further south, on the tepuis of the southern Venezuela-northern Brazil border. The species inhabits the interior, edges, and clearings of sub-montane forest and also scrublands. In elevation is mostly occurs between 700 and 2,000 m (2,300 and 6,600 ft) but has been recorded as low as 500 m (1,600 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The velvet-browed brilliant is believed to be sedentary but may make some seasonal elevational movements.<p>The velvet-browed brilliant forages for nectar both low down and high in the canopy, but in the forest interior tends to stay low. It feeds by trap-lining, visiting a circuit of flowering plants, but also defends patches of flowers. In some seasons the sexes tend to separate and feed at different resources. In addition to nectar, the species also feeds on small insects.<p>The velvet-browed brilliant's breeding season is apparently from January to March. It makes a saddle-type nest but nothing else is known about its breeding phenology.<p>The velvet-browed brilliant gives a "repeated nasal 'squank'" in flight. Another vocalization is "high-pitched drawn-out reeling trills" that rise and fall in pitch.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Great Rosefinch
Carpodacus rubicilla
As the name suggests, a large rosefinch. Male is bright pink with a dark face and frosty specks on the underparts. Female is streaky brown all over. Very similar to Streaked Rosefinch; look out for unstreaked upperparts in the male and softer, larger white spots on the underparts. Prefers more sparsely vegetated areas at higher elevations than Streaked Rosefinch, favoring alpine and subalpine scree slopes, boulder fields, and other open and barren environments; descends into similar habitat in the winter. Gives various chips, cheeps, and wheezy notes.
Northern Scrub-Robin
Drymodes superciliaris
Long-legged songbird found in rainforests of the Cape York Peninsula. Brown above, pale gray below, with black-and-white patterned wing and long tail, often flicked upward. Dramatic vertical black mark through the eye and cheek is diagnostic. Usually seen low down or on the ground; favors rainforest areas with plenty of leaf litter. Voice includes a variety of clear, thin whistled calls.
East Andean Antbird
Drymophila caudata
Slender, long-tailed antbird restricted to Colombia’s eastern Andes. Note the profuse streaking on foreparts and the orange belly and rump. Male’s streaks are darker and more contrasting than female’s. Similar to Klages's Antbird (little or no overlap), but central underparts are streaked instead of plain. Also very similar to Streak-headed Antbird and Santa Marta Antbird, but no range overlap. Inhabits bamboo thickets in cloud forest. Song consists of a few clucking notes followed by several rasps.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.