Outcrop Sabrewing
Campylopterus calcirupicola
Large, rather drab hummingbird, green above and light gray below. Note the white spot behind the eye. Occurs at high elevations in deciduous dry forests on outcrops of limestone. Very similar to Gray-breasted Sabrewing, but ranges do not overlap.
Identification
The outcrop sabrewing is very similar to its "parents", the grey-breasted and especially the Diamantina sabrewings. Males weigh about 7.0 g (0.25 oz) and females 5.9 g (0.21 oz). The sexes have almost identical plumage. Their bill is long and slightly decurved. Their upperparts are bright bronze green with coppery reflections on the darker crown. They have a white spot behind the eye. Their underparts are pale gray that lightens to whitish on the abdomen and light gray on the undertail coverts. Their central pair of tail feathers is bright bronze green, the next pair bright bronze green with a dark olive gray spot at the end, and the rest have bright bronze green bases, narrow dark olive gray bands near the tip, and white tips.
Taxonomy
What is now the outcrop sabrewing was treated as part of the diamatinensis subspecies of the grey-breasted sabrewing (Campylopterus largipennis). In a 2017 paper Lopes et al. provided convincing evidence that both the outcrop sabrewing and diamatinensis sensu stricto deserved species status. The South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society and worldwide taxonomic systems agreed, recognizing the outcrop and Diamantina sabrewings. Both are monotypic.
- Scientific name
- Campylopterus calcirupicola
- Authority
- Lopes, de Vasconcelos & Gonzaga, 2017
- Order
- Apodiformes
- Family
- Trochilidae
- Genus
- Campylopterus
Range and habitat
The outcrop sabrewing is found only in a small part of eastern Brazil. It is known from northeastern Goiás, southwestern Bahia, and northern Minas Gerais, and suspected to also be found in southeastern Tocantins and southern Piauí. Though exact details of its habitat requirements have not been determined, it is known mostly from dry forests on limestone outcrops and calcareous soils derived from them. It is known only in a very limited elevational range between 460 and 880 m (1,500 and 2,900 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The outcrop sabrewing's movements, if any, have not been documented.<p>The outcrop sabrewing's foraging strategy and diet are poorly known, but it does take nectar from a variety of native and introduced plant species.<p>The outcrop sabrewing's breeding season appears to span from May to December, but nothing else is known about its breeding phenology. Its nest and eggs have not been described.<p>The outcrop sabrewing's vocalizations have not been put into words, but recordings are available in xeno-canto and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Macaulay Library.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
White-throated Pewee
Contopus albogularis
Small, inconspicuous, locally-distributed flycatcher. Both sexes are entirely dark gray with exception of prominent white throat patch. Inhabits rainforest, usually in areas with numerous rock outcrops, inselbergs, or bauxite plateaus. Found alone or in pairs, in canopy or just beneath it; sallies from perches to catch insects in mid-air, often returning to the same perch. Much darker than Tropical Pewee or Eastern/Western Wood-Pewee; range does not overlap with those of other dark pewees, all of which lack white in throat. Sharp, piping call notes are often overlooked, though they may be given for long periods throughout the day.
Gibberbird
Ashbyia lovensis
Brightly colored, terrestrial songbird with upright posture found in arid stony plains of central Australia. Grayish brown above, yellow below, with yellow face and notably pale eye (Yellow Chat male has a completely yellow head). In flight, back is the same tone as wings and tail (Yellow Chat has yellow uppertail).
Flores Scops-Owl
Otus alfredi
A small owl with yellow eyes, a pale bill, an unmarked rufous face and ear tufts, a pale forehead, mainly rufous upperparts with prominent white spots in the wings, and a faintly-scaled pale grayish underside. Juvenile is largely pale rufous, with little barring but strong tail bands. Inhabits montane forest on Flores. Distinguished from larger Wallace’s and Moluccan Scops-Owls by rufous appearance, pale bill, lack of prominent dark facial border, and absence of bold streaking on underparts. Song is a distinctive crake-like, stuttering “da-da-da-da-da-da-da,” wavering in pitch.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.