Swallow tailed Hummingbird (Campylopterus macroura)

[order] Apodiformes | [family] Trochilidae | [latin] Campylopterus macroura | [UK] Swallow-tailed Hummingbird | [FR] Colibri hirondelle | [DE] Blauer Gabelschwanzkolibri | [ES] Colibri Golondrina | [IT] Colibri codadirondine | [NL] Zwaluwstaartkolibrie

Subspecies

Physical charateristics

It is green, except for the blue head and upper breast, turning to iridescent purple according to the direction of light; it has dark wings and a heavy black bill. The tail is dark blue with the external feathers longer than central ones.

Listen to the sound of Swallow-tailed Hummingbird

[audio:http://www.aviflevoland.nl/sounddb/S/Swallow-tailed Hummingbird.mp3]

Copyright remark: Most sounds derived from xeno-canto

Range

They occur from the Guianas and Amazon River to Paraguay and southeastern Peru.

Habitat

Open savanna like areas with shrubs and trees. Also man made areas like gardesn and plantaions, found in forest and forest edges. Feeds from mid-strata to below canopy

Reproduction

The female builds a small cup-shaped nest saddled on a horizontal twigs, not far from the main trunk in the shade of leaves. Clutch size is 2 eggs, incubation period 16 days done by female. Ypounf fledge after 22-23 days and will return to the nest the first few days. They stay with the female for a few more weeks.

Feeding habits

Where the flowers, hence nectar, are available for many months, the individual is fiercely territorial, but generally needs to search soon for other flowering plants. It flies to catch small insects on or under leafs in the gallery forests or woodlands.

Conservation

This species has a large range, with an estimated global Extent of Occurrence of 4,400,000 km². The global population size has not been quantified, but it is believed to be large as the species is described as ‘frequent’ in at least parts of its range (Stotz et al. 1996). Global population trends have not been quantified, but the species is not believed to approach the thresholds for the population decline criterion of the IUCN Red List (i.e. declining more than 30% in ten years or three generations). For these reasons, the species is evaluated as Least Concern.

Migration

Sedentary throughout range

Distribution map

Literature

Title NESTING BEHAVIOR OF THE SWALLOW-TAILED
HUMMINGBIRD, Eupetomena macroura
(TROCHILIDAE, AVES)

Author(s): ONIKI, Y. and WILLIS, E. O.

Abstract: An August or winter nestling of Eupetomena macrour..[more]..

Source: Rev. Brasil. Biol., 60(4): 655-662