White-tipped Sicklebill
Eutoxeres aquila
This streaky hummingbird has a remarkably decurved bill like a Velociraptor claw. The bill shape alone distinguishes it from all hummingbirds except the very similar Buff-tailed Sicklebill, which only overlaps in some areas of the range. Look at the tail pattern to separate the two species: White-tipped is well-named with only white tips on the tail feathers, while Buff-tailed has more extensive buff on the outer tail feathers. Sicklebills are most often seen feeding on Heliconia flowers in the dark forest understory; they’re generally uncommon and fast-moving, difficult to get a look at. Does not visit feeders.
识别特征
The white-tipped sicklebill's most prominent feature is its strongly decurved bill that arcs through a quarter circle; the maxilla is black and the mandible yellow. The species is about 11.5 to 13.5 cm (4.5 to 5.3 in) long and weighs about 8.6 to 14.5 g (0.30 to 0.51 oz). The sexes are alike in plumage. Adults' upperparts are green, their throat and chest blackish, and the rest of the underparts striped green and white. The tail is mostly green, with the outer pair of feathers more dusky with white tips. Juveniles appear scaly.
分类信息
The white-tipped sicklebill shares the genus Eutoxeres with the buff-tailed sicklebill (E. condamini). It has three subspecies, the nominate E. a. aquila, E. a. salvini, and E. a. heterurus.
- 学名
- Eutoxeres aquila
- 命名信息
- (Bourcier, 1847)
- 目
- Apodiformes
- 科
- Trochilidae
- 属
- Eutoxeres
分布与栖息地
The northernmost subspecies of white-tipped sicklebill, E. a. salvini, is found in Costa Rica, Panama, and western Colombia. E. a. heterurus is found from Colombia's Cauca Department south through western Ecuador, and there is also at least one record in Mérida of western Venezuela. The nominate E. a. aquila is found from eastern Colombia south through eastern Ecuador into northern Peru. The species inhabits the understory of montane evergreen forest. In Costa Rica, it ranges between 300 and 700 m (980 and 2,300 ft) of elevation on the Caribbean side and 1,000 and 1,200 m (3,300 and 3,900 ft) on the Pacific side. In western Colombia, it is found from sea level to 1,400 m (4,600 ft) and in the Magdalena River valley between 1,600 and 2,100 m (5,200 and 6,900 ft). In Peru, it is found between 750 and 2,000 m (2,460 and 6,560 ft).
- 迁徙
- Resident species
行为
The white-tipped sicklebill primarily feeds on nectar. Its curved bill is an adaption to the shape of flowers, especially those of genera Centropogon and Heliconia, and it typically clings to the flower as it feeds. It is a "trap-line" feeder, visiting a circuit of flowering plants and not defending any particular area. Sicklebills also feed on insects by gleaning them from spiderwebs or trunks and branches.<p>Male white-tipped sicklebills display for females in leks with a U-shaped flight; they are polygynous. The species' breeding seasons vary across its range and it appears to often breed twice per year. The female builds a cup nest that hangs from the underside of Heliconia or larger leaves, and sometimes from human structures such as bridges and the ceilings of buildings. The nest is woven from rootlets, hair, fungal rhizomes, and plant fibers bound with spider web. The clutch size is two eggs.<p>The white-tipped sicklebill's song is "a complex series of thin, whiny squeaks followed by some strident, high, tseep notes." There appears to be some geographic variation in it. One description of its call is "high, thin, sharp piercing tsitting notes".
保护状况
- 种群趋势
- declining
照片
分布
鸟叫声
其他鸟类
Brown-banded Puffbird
Notharchus ordii
Large, black-and-white puffbird with a brown breast patch. In addition to its brown band, note the lack of a white eyebrow, present in other black-and-white puffbirds. Found mainly in forests with sandy or rocky soil, often with stunted vegetation. In some parts of its range, it is also found in mature upland rainforest. Its song is a long, rising series of whistles, followed by a slowly descending series of stuttered whistles “wi wi woo, wi wi woo, …”.
Yellow Bittern
Botaurus sinensis
Very small heron of marshy, well-vegetated water bodies. Adult pale orangish brown or yellow, depending on the light, with a narrow dark cap. Juvenile darker above with pale feather edges. Can be inconspicuous in dense vegetation, but frequently makes short flights; on flying birds, note dark flight feathers contrasting with pale yellowish wing coverts. Typically quiet, but occasionally gives harsh grating calls when flushed.
Mosque Swallow
Cecropis senegalensis
This large swallow has rusty-red underparts, a pale buff throat, and a white leading edge to the underwing that is obvious only in flight. It is mostly resident, although it is also a wet season migrant to the north of its range. Pairs prefer wooded savanna, nesting in banks, termite mounds, and often holes in trees, particularly baobabs. The Mosque Swallow may be confused with the juvenile Rufous-chested Swallow, but it lacks the latter species’ dark “ear-flaps” and buffy forward part of the underwing.
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