Buff-tailed Coronet

Fahl -tailed Hummingbird ( Boissonneaua flavescens)

The Pale -tailed Hummingbird ( Boissonneaua flavescens ) is a species of bird in the family of hummingbirds ( Trochilidae ). The species has a large distribution area, which covers about 130,000 square kilometers in the South American countries of Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela. The stock is assessed by the IUCN as endangered not (Least Concern ).

Features

The Pale -tailed Hummingbird reaches a body length of about 11 to 11.4 centimeters. The straight relatively thick beak is about 16 to 18 millimeters long. The shell is glossy green. Behind the eyes of the Hummingbird has a rather inconspicuous white spots. The bend of wing and the lower part of the wing are yellow-brown. The neck sparkles green and shiny on the chest. The belly is gray to yellow-brown and has green speckles on. The inner tail feathers are bronze-green and yellow on the outside and brown with bronze spots.

Habitat

The hummingbird moves in moist forests and forest edges. It is to be observed at altitudes of 1500 and 3300 meters. The forests where the bird is located, belong to the sub-tropical climates. One finds the bird to both the West, as well as on the eastern slopes of the Andes.

Behavior

The bird is quite territorial at flowers. You usually find it in the treetops. In clearings you see him deeper. After landing he spreads his wings one to two seconds. Preferably, it clings during feeding and also thereby lifts the wings. The flowers, which he flies to, are in the middle and upper part of the tree crowns. Despite his remarkable fighting spirit, he gathers together with other hummingbirds flowering trees. In the presence of females, the male circles the object of desire. Later he lands near the females, and twitters. This later turns into a kind of buzz.

Subspecies

There are so far two subspecies of the Pale -tailed Hummingbird known:

• Boissonneaua flavescens flavescens ( Loddiges, 1832)
• Boissonneaua flavescens tinochlora ( Oberholser, 1902)

The subspecies flavescens found in northwestern Venezuela in the state of Mérida, as well as in Colombia. In addition, it is present exclusively in Ecuador on the eastern slopes at Pan de Azucar near the volcano Sumaco. In the southwest of Colombia and the mountain slopes of the western Andes of Ecuador there is tinochlora the subspecies. In Ecuador it has been observed in the western part of the province of Cotopaxi.

Etymology and History of Research

George Loddiges described the hummingbird originally under the name Trochilus flavescens. He received The type specimen from the collection of John Gould and it was from Popayán. The bladders were Harry Church Oberholser in his description of the subspecies available, came from the area of the volcano in the province of Pichincha Corazón.

The term " Boissonneaua " was used to pay homage to the Okularisten, birdwatchers and natural history dealer Auguste Boissonneau. The Latin epithet " flavescens " comes from " flavus " for " yellow, golden from ." The word " tinochlora " derives from the Greek words " Teino τείνω " for " spread " and " khlōros χλωρός " for " green " from.