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.
识别特征
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.
分类信息
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.
- 学名
- Aglaiocercus berlepschi
- 命名信息
- (Hartert, EJO, 1898)
- 目
- Apodiformes
- 科
- Trochilidae
- 属
- Aglaiocercus
分布与栖息地
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.
- 迁徙
- Resident species
行为
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'."
保护状况
- 种群趋势
- declining
照片
分布
鸟叫声
其他鸟类
Long-tailed Myna
Mino kreffti
An unmistakable very large starling. Mostly glossy purplish-black with stunning large bright yellow bare facial skin and bill. In flight, white rump and white wing patches are obvious. Found in forest edge, forest, and secondary growth below 1000 meters of elevation. Voice consists of a varied chorus of whistles and squawks.
Slender-billed Scimitar-Babbler
Pomatorhinus superciliaris
Possibly the species to which the moniker of “scimitar-babbler” attaches most fittingly, as this inhabitant of high-altitude evergreen forests has a bill shaped like a curved sword. Predominantly orange-brown, with a gray head and jagged white eyebrow. Easily identified, even if seen only in silhouette; no other babbler in its range has such a long, sharply curved bill. Moves through the lower levels of the forest in large, noisy flocks.
Least Sandpiper
Calidris minutilla
Tiny brownish sandpiper. At all ages, most easily distinguished from other small sandpipers by darker, more brownish coloration. Juveniles are particularly bright with rusty tones on the upperparts. Also note fine-tipped bill and yellowish legs, but beware legs can be covered with dark mud and other peeps (like Semipalmated Sandpiper) can rarely show slightly greenish legs. Habitat and behavior are helpful supporting clues, too. Typically forages in a crouched posture with bent legs, picking for invertebrates in the mud. Often in small loose groups, but not in large, tight flocks like Semipalmated or Western Sandpipers. Prefers drier mud, often on the higher edges of mudflats or small patches of water in marshes. Widespread and common, especially inland. Breeds in various wetland habitats throughout Alaska and Canada. Winters from the southern U.S. to South America. Listen for high-pitched, rolling “greeep!” calls.
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