Grey-bellied Comet

Graubauchsylphe ( Taphrolesbia griseiventris )

The Graubauchsylphe ( Taphrolesbia griseiventris ) is a species of bird in the family of hummingbirds ( Trochilidae ). The species is endemic to the South American country of Peru and is there only in the Central Andes Northern Peru. The stock is assessed by the IUCN as endangered.

Features

The male Graubauchsylphe reaches a body length of about 14 to 17 centimeters, while the female is only about 14 inches tall. The straight black beak is about 14 millimeters long. Thus the Graubauchsylphe is a relatively large hummingbird. The top is green to blue green. Postokular ( behind the eyes ) is a white spot. The long green, broad tail is dotted with orange speckles. The lower part is the male mainly light gray and light yellowish brown in the female. The neck of the male is adorned with a deep blue stain. This patch is not present in the female. Also, the tail falls in the female somewhat shorter than in the male.

Habitat

The distribution of Graubauchsylphe is located in the northwestern Andes of Peru. Here it occurs to the West Huánucos in southern Cajamarca. The bird preferred areas with semi-arid climate. So he prefers rocky area in deep gorges and is found at altitudes 2750-3200 meters. It is found on steep slopes near cacti, agaves, bromeliads plants, bushes or other xerophytic plants. He rarely occurs in cultivated land. Here he was, however, inter alia, observed on eucalyptus.

Subspecies

There are no known subspecies of Taphrolesbia griseiventris. The kind that was first discovered in Paucal in the Cajamarca region, is considered monotypic. A classification in biological systematics is difficult. Most likely the Graubauchsylphe with the genera Polyonymus and Sappho is related.

Etymology and History of Research

Władysław Taczanowski described the Graubauchsylphe initially under the name Cynanthus griseiventris. He had received from the collection of Professor Antonio Raimondi from Lima The type specimen. Only later it was slammed by Eugène Simon the genus Taphrolesbia.

The genus name Taphrolesbia is composed of the Greek words tephra for " ash " and Lesbias for " woman from Lesbos " together. The specific epithet griseiventris derives from the Greek words griseus for " gray" and venter, ventris for " belly" from.