Stripe-tailed Hummingbird
Stripe -tailed Hummingbird
The strip -tailed Hummingbird or Streifenschwanzeupherusa ( Eupherusa eximia ) is a species of bird in the family of hummingbirds ( Trochilidae ). The species has a 180,000 -square-kilometer area of distribution in Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama and Nicaragua. The stock is not at risk ( least concern ) according to IUCN.
Features
The strip -tailed Hummingbird reaches a body length between 10 and 11,5 centimeters, making it one of the medium sized hummingbirds. The black, straight beak is 18-19 millimeters long. The male is mostly emerald green. In the lower abdominal region, the color changes into yellow-brown. The lower part of the tail is colored white. The reddish pattern of secondaries stands out conspicuously. The inner tail feathers are crossed and green with a white stripe, as they are black to the outside. In the female neck and lower part are ashen. To the ears of the head in the female dark eyes and is adorned with a white ring. The white part of the tail is more pronounced than in the male. The black outer feathers are missing. The top is emerald green as the male.
Habitat
The bird moves preferably in a moist evergreen forest as well as in cloud forests. For foraging seen in regularly in the forest interior. Otherwise he preferred low -growing plants, shrubs and small trees at the forest edge. In Chiriquí and Veraguas he is mostly over 1500 meters active, but usually. Altitudes 600-1800 m
Behavior
His food he collects in all vegetation heights. To feed, the tail is spread. The breeding season is from April to August.
Subspecies
So far, three subspecies are known.
- Eupherusa eximia egregia PL Sclater & Salvin, 1868
- Eupherusa eximia eximia ( Delattre, 1843)
- Eupherusa eximia nelsoni Ridgway, 1910
The subspecies nelsoni is found in the east & south-eastern Mexico. The subspecies eximia is located in the extreme eastern Mexico up to the high plains of central Nicaragua. In the highlands of Costa Rica and western Panama, you encounter the ssp. egregia.
Etymology and History of Research
Pierre Adolphe Delattre described the strip tail hummingbird under the name Ornismya eximia. In 1857, the kind of John Gould was assigned to the genus Eupherusa. The " Eupherusa " ladder from the Greek words " eu εὖ " for " good" and " phero φέρω " for " carry on ". The term " eximia " derives from the Latin word " eximius " for " exceptionally, extraordinarily " from. The word " egregia " comes from the Latin word " egregius " awarded for " outstanding " from. The " nelsoni " is dedicated to Edward William Nelson ( 1855-1934 ). Nelson had participated together with Edward Alphonso Goldman (1873-1946) on a biological study in Mexico, from which came the type specimen.