Venezuelan Sylph
Aglaiocercus berlepschi
Unmistakable, long-tailed hummingbird with straight, short bill. Male has very long, brilliant blue tail and iridescent blue throat; female very different, with shorter, white-tipped tail and whitish underparts. Found alone inside humid forests or edges at low to mid heights in montane regions. Typical vocalizations are electric and short, repeated constantly. No similar species in its very limited range, though male very similar to more widespread Long-tailed Sylph. Endemic to the Turimiquire region of northeastern Venezuela.
Identification
The male Venezuelan sylph is 22 cm (8.7 in) long including the 14 to 15 cm (5.5 to 5.9 in) outer tail feathers and weighs 5.5 g (0.19 oz). Females are 9.5 to 11 cm (3.7 to 4.3 in) long and weigh 4.5 g (0.16 oz). Both sexes have a short black bill. Males have a dark glittering green crown and a shining green back. They have a glittering blue gorget and bronzy green underparts with puffy white thighs. The inner tail feathers are short and blue-green; the outer ones are very long and deep violet at the base becoming blue at the end. Females have a glittering blue crown; otherwise their upperparts are similar to the male's. Their throat, breast, and belly are white with green spots. Their tail is short and slightly forked, blue-green with white tips on the outer feathers. Immatures resemble adult females with buffy fringes on the head feathers.
Taxonomy
The taxonomy of genus Aglaiocercus and of the Venezuelan sylph in particular are complicated. The genus also includes two other sylphs, the long-tailed (A. kingii) and violet-tailed (A. coelestis), and the three have several times been suggested to be either one species, or two with the Venezuelan being a subspecies of the long-tailed. Several additional species have been proposed for inclusion but they have almost conclusively been shown to be hybrids with kingii or one of the other sylphs. Since at least the early 2000s taxonomists have settled on the three-species treatment. The Venezuelan sylph is monotypic.
- Scientific name
- Aglaiocercus berlepschi
- Authority
- (Hartert, EJO, 1898)
- Order
- Apodiformes
- Family
- Trochilidae
- Genus
- Aglaiocercus
Range and habitat
The Venezuelan sylph occurs where Sucre, Monagas, and Anzoátegui states meet. It is found in two ranges of the Turimiquire Massif, the eastern Cordillera de Caripe and the western Serranía de Turimiquire. It inhabits subtropical forest and scrubland on coastal mountain slopes between 1,450 and 1,800 m (4,800 and 5,900 ft) of elevation.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The Venezuelan sylph is sedentary.<p>The Venezuelan sylph feeds on nectar from flowering vines, shrubs, and trees, especially those of genus Inga. It uses trap-lining around a circuit of flowering plants but also will defend specific feeding territories. It also catches insects by hawking from a perch. It typically forages alone or in pairs but sometimes several will feed at a flowering tree.<p>The Venezuelan sylph's breeding season spans from August to January. The female builds a domed nest in epiphytes and incubates the eggs. Nothing else is known about the species' breeding phenology.<p>The Venezuelan sylph's apparent song is "a continuous series of buzzy notes 'bzzt...bzzt...bzzt...'." It also makes "a high-pitched rising twittering 'tititi-teetsee..see..seee'."
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Campylopterus largipennis
Large hummingbird of humid forests and semi-open habitats in Amazonia. Plain gray below and iridescent green above. Note large dark tail with white tips; also look for fairly heavy, slightly dropped bill and white spot behind eye. Occurs mostly in forest clearings or other semi-open habitats such as edges, tree fall gaps, and gardens. Forages at low- to mid-levels.
Mount Kupe Bushshrike
Chlorophoneus kupeensis
A grayish bushshrike with green wings and tail and a unique head pattern: the black mask curls down to form a narrow black breast band surrounding the white throat. Some morphs have a purple dot at the base of the throat. Juvenile has less distinct face pattern than adult. A rare resident, restricted to a handful of sites in the Cameroon-Nigeria highlands, where it is found singly and in pairs in the canopy of primary hill forest between 930 and 1550 meters of elevation. Calls include an electric grating “cha-cha-cha-chggrrt-chggrrt-chggrrt” like a laser-gun sound effect in a computer game, as well as harsh croaking, whistles, and ticks. May snap wings when agitated.
Northern Bobwhite
Colinus virginianus
Small and rotund with intricate brown, black, and white patterning. Some striking variation in plumage across range. Most males, including those in the eastern U.S., have bold black and white head pattern and heavy white spotting on belly. In Mexico, males can be entirely cinnamon-colored below and have a fully black head; some might have a white eyebrow or a dark chest band. Females are more consistent throughout range: look for buffy throat and eyebrow. Pairs or small groups are found in scrubby fields and brushy woods. Usually on the ground, but occasionally perches in trees when singing. The only quail native to the eastern U.S., where populations are declining sharply. Listen for distinctive “bob-WHITE!” whistle.
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