Short-tailed Woodstar

Kurzschwanzelfe painted by John Gould

The Kurzschwanzelfe ( Myrmia micrura ) is a sailor bird in the family of hummingbirds ( Trochilidae ). It is found in the South American countries Ecuador and Peru. The stock is classified by the IUCN as endangered not (Least Concern ).

Features

The Kurzschwanzelfe reaches a body length of about 6 inches, with the slightly curved beak is about 13 millimeters long. The upper side of the male is adorned with a pale green fades. A white spot in the rear area of ​​the back pulls up to the side. The throat glows purple and is both a white baking bar, and a white chest band, which stretches into the sides of the neck, framed. The rest of the base is white. The very short tail is black, so the wings protrude when they sit him on a tree branch. The females are similar, but have little to no white spot in the back back. The entire underside is yellowish white. The violet color of the throat is missing.

Distribution and habitat

Their natural habitat is desert scrub, areas with bushes and gardens in the dry lowlands of Ecuador and Peru. In Ecuador, they are found in the province of Manabí on the Isla de la Plata and Machalilla National Park in the southwest. They also occur in the west and south of the province of Guayas, the distribution area extends south to the province of El Oro and west to the province of Loja. Usually they are found at altitudes below 200 meters, but in Loja they have also been observed up to 800 meters. They also occur in northwestern Peru. Here they are found in the regions of Piura, Tumbes, Lambayeque and La Libertad.

Behavior

They find their food very close to the ground. They often fly flowers in gardens. The vocals during the Balzfluges consists of a series of high Tititis which is penetrated by a high swee.

Etymology and History of Research

John Gould described the Kurzschwanzelfe initially under the name Calothorax micrurus. It was not until 1876, she was slammed by Mulsant the new genus Myrmia.

The genus name is probably due to the Greek word " murmex " for " ant " (Greek μύρμηξ / Myrmex ). The reason for the choice of name could be the small size, and the assiduity of the hummingbird, which is quite close to the character of an ant.

The epithet " micrura " derives from the Greek words " micros " as for "small" and " oura " for " tail ."