Bumblebee Hummingbird

Rosenkehlelfe ( Atthis heloisa )

The Rosenkehlelfe ( Atthis heloisa ) or sometimes Heloisaelfe is a species of bird in the family of hummingbirds ( Trochilidae ). The species has a large distribution area, which covers about 290,000 square kilometers in the Central American country Mexico and the North American Country USA. The stock is assessed by the IUCN as endangered not (Least Concern ).

Features

The Rosenkehlelfe reaches a body length of about 7 to 7.5 centimeters. The short black beak 19 to 20 millimeters long in the male 18-19 as well as in the female. The tail is reddish brown stripes, the outer feathers are white. The male is adorned with a magenta gorget, which merges into a dark purple. To the eye of the hummingbird has white stripes that are hidden between the green crown and the head. The neck and the lower part is green. The site looks washed out gray to cinnamon. The back is green. The female has a white throat with bronze brown speckles. During the back grass green shimmer to golden green, the lower part is creamy white. On the side of the color changes into a red fox. The front side of collar is decorated with a high-contrast white.

Habitat

The bird moves preferably in the peripheral areas of cloud forest and in the pine forests of the mountains at altitudes between 1,500 and 3,000 meters.

Behavior

Relatively little is known about the behavior. The slow flight resembles that of a large bee. They growl when flying like insects. This is probably the camouflage against potential enemies. The Rosenkehlelfe put no aggressive behavior on the day. His nectar she sucks short corollas. Sometimes you watch them feeding on the ground.

Subspecies

So far, two subspecies are known. The following subspecies have been identified:

• Atthis heloisa heloisa ( Lesson & Delattre, 1839)
• Atthis heloisa Margarethä (R. T. Moore, 1937)

The subspecies atthis heloisa morcomi ( Ridgway, 1898) was declared as an invalid taxon.

The subspecies Margarethä can be found in the southwest and west of the Mexican highlands. So it is present in the southeastern Sinaloa and Jalisco to the south-west Chihuahuas. The subspecies heloisa is more in the highlands of Northeast, Central & Southern Mexico available. So you can discover to Guerrero and Oaxaca to the central Tamaulipas.