Metalluro squamoso

Metallura aeneocauda

Un piccolo colibrì verde scuro con un becco corto e dritto. Si trova ai margini della foresta elfica e in arbusteti umidi sopra il limite degli alberi. Il maschio ha una macchia iridescente verde sulla gola; le femmine sono prive della macchia sulla gola e sono più smorte sotto, con parti inferiori brunastre. I maschi hanno una gola e un petto più bronzati e squamati e una coda più verde rispetto al simile Metacoda di Tyrian; le femmine di Metacoda squamato sono più scure sotto rispetto a quella specie, senza una forte colorazione arancio-fulva su gola e petto.

Identificazione

The scaled metaltail is 12 to 13 cm (4.7 to 5.1 in) long and weighs 5.2 to 5.4 g (0.18 to 0.19 oz). It has a medium length, straight, black bill. The adult male of the nominate subspecies has bottle green upperparts. Its slightly forked tail is iridescent sky blue with bronzy green tones on its upper side and glittering green on its underside. Its gorget is iridescent bright green. The rest of its underparts are green with a scaly appearance from tan feather margins. The adult female is similar to the male. Its gorget is smaller and its undersides are more mottled. Juveniles are similar to the female. Subspecies M. a. malagae is similar to the nominate but the upper side of its tail is bronzy red and the underside red. It also has a longer bill.

Tassonomia

The scaled metaltail has two subspecies, the nominate M. a. aeneocauda and M. a. malagae. The latter was for a time treated as a separate species.

Nome scientifico
Metallura aeneocauda
Autorità
(Gould, 1846)
Ordine
Apodiformi
Famiglia
Trochilidae
Genere
Metallura

Areale e habitat

The nominate subspecies of scaled metaltail is found on the eastern slope of the Andes from the Cordillera Vilcabamba of southeastern Peru south into northwestern Bolivia's La Paz Department. M. a. malagae is found in the vicinity of Inkachaka in central Bolivia's Cochabamba Department. The species inhabits glades and edges of cloudforest and elfin forest and also rocky slopes with herbs and shrubs. In elevation it ranges between 2,500 and 3,600 m (8,200 and 11,800 ft) and is most common above 3,000 m (9,800 ft).

Migrazione
Resident species

Comportamento

The scaled metaltail is believed to be sedentary but some dispersal into páramo and lower montane forest is thought possible.<p>The scaled metaltail feeds on nectar from a variety of flowering plants and shrubs, often by clinging to the flower. Males defend feeding territories. In addition to nectar, it feeds extensively on insects.<p>The scaled metaltail's breeding phenology and nest have not been documented. Its breeding season appears to include May and June.<p>The scaled metaltail's chase call is "a descending series of 3–6 squeaky notes, followed by a repeated, buzzy, jumbled phrase, 'trt-tsee-seee-seee-sew..trr-tsee-tsew..trr-tsee-tsew..'."

Conservazione

Tendenza della popolazione
declining

Foto

Distribuzione

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