Humboldt's Sapphire
Sapphire Humboldt Hummingbird ( ♀ above, below ♂ ), presentation by John Gould
The sapphire Humboldt Hummingbird ( Hylocharis humboldtii ) or sometimes sapphire Humboldt is a species of bird in the family of hummingbirds ( Trochilidae ). The species is found in the South American countries, Colombia and Ecuador as well as in the Central American country of Panama. The stock is assessed by the IUCN as endangered not (Least Concern ).
Features
The Humboldt Sapphire Hummingbird reaches a body length of about 9 centimeters. The straight, pointed beak is about 18 millimeters long, the lower beak is reddish with a black tip. The face mask and chin of the male shining blue, while the vertex is colored green blue. Postokular ( behind the eyes ), there is a striking white polka dots. The top of the throat and chest glistening green, which passes to the flanks in a dark metallic green. From Belly up to the coloring rump is white. The tail is dark green. The female is on top of green shimmering, its underside is white with green spots on neck and chest. The green tail instructs the outer feathers on white speckles.
Distribution and habitat
The species inhabits mangrove forests and adjacent areas near the Pacific coast. In Panama, it is very rare and has been observed only in the extreme southwest of the province of Darién. In Colombia you can find them on the entire Pacific coast to the south-western part of the Departamento de Narino. In Ecuador, they only extremely rarely occurs in Esmeraldas Province in the northwest.
Behavior
The birds fly among other things, the flowers of belonging to the family of Tetrameristaceae Pelliciera rhizophorae to. During courtship sit up to four males on a branch in height 3-6 meters and sing.
Endangering
The destruction of the Pacific mangrove forests by the intersection of wood, and the mining of coal is a potential risk of this type represents a further problem is the construction of ponds for breeding of shrimp, which also threatens the ecosystem of the mangroves. Otherwise, little is known about their behavior.