Long-billed Hermit

Western Long-tailed Hummingbird shadow ( Phaethornis longirostris )

The Western Long-tailed Hummingbird shadow ( Phaethornis longirostris ) is a species of bird in the family of hummingbirds ( Trochilidae ). The species has a large distribution area, which covers about 540,000 square kilometers in the Central American countries, Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama and Nicaragua as well as the South American countries of Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. The stock is assessed by the IUCN as endangered not (Least Concern ).

Features

The Western Long-tailed Hummingbird shadow reaches a body length of about 16 to 17 centimeters. The 40 mm long curved beak is black on top, while the lower part is yellow. The upper part is predominantly brown, the back is tinted bronze - green. A dark spot surrounded the eyes, which is criss-crossed under the eye of white stripes. The jaws are dark. The color of the lower part is a faded yellow-brown. The neck decorated with white stripes. The gradual tail is black with white speckles, wherein the elongate tail feather is whitish.

Habitat

The hummingbird prefers damp musty forest soils, laubabwerfendes evergreen, forest edges and secondary forests. You meet him at altitudes up to 1800 meters.

Behavior

The bird moves only in a small territory. While he chirps at altitudes of between one and five meters, he wags his tail. Certain favored food plants are served regularly.

Subspecies

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

• Longirostris longirostris Phaethornis ( Delattre, 1843)
• Phaethornis longirostris cephalus ( Bourcier & Mulsant, 1848)
• Phaethornis longirostris sussurus ( Bangs, 1901)

The subspecies longirostris Phaethornis sussurus ( Bangs, 1901) and Phaethornis longirostris veraecrucis ( Ridgway, 1910) was declared as an invalid taxon.

The subspecies longirostris comes from the north of Oaxaca in southern Mexico before to after Nordhonduras. The subspecies cephalus is found by Osthonduras to north- western Colombia. The subspecies is sussurus in northern Colombia in the mountains of Santa Marta at home.

Previously Phaethornis longirostris as a subspecies of the Long-tailed Hermit ( Phaethornis superciliosus ) (Linnaeus, 1766 ) was considered. Today, he counts as a separate species.

Furthermore emerged from Phaethornis longirostris other species that were once considered subspecies. Here are:

• Phaethornis baroni ( Hartert, 1897)
• Phaethornis griseoventer ( Phillips 1962)
• Phaethornis mexicanus ( Hartert, 1897)

The type baroni one finds in Western Ecuador to north- western Peru. The type griseoventer lives in western Mexico Nayarit to Colima. Finally, the species is mexicanus in southwestern Mexico from the western part of Guerrero to the southeast of Oaxaca is home.