Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
Encyclopedia
The Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (Amazilia tzacatl) is a medium-sized hummingbird
that breeds from east-central Mexico
, through Central America
and Colombia
, east to western Venezuela
and south through western Ecuador
to near the border with Peru
. The larger Escudo Hummingbird
from Isla Escudo de Veraguas
in Panama
is commonly considered a subspecies
of the Rufous-tailed Hummingbird.
This is a common to abundant bird of open country, river banks, woodland, scrub, forest edge, coffee
plantations and gardens up to 1850 m (6000 ft).
The adult Rufous-tailed Hummingbird is 10–12 cm (4–4.8 in) long and weighs approx. 5.2 g (0.2 oz). The throat is green (edged whitish in the female), the crown, back and flanks are green tinged golden, the belly is pale greyish, the vent and rump are rufous and the slightly forked tail is rufous with a dusky tip. The almost straight bill is red with a black tip; the black is more extensive on the upper mandible, which may appear all black. Immatures are virtually identical to the female. The call is a low chut, and the male’s song is a whistled tse we ts’ we or tse tse wip tseek tse.
The female Rufous-tailed Hummingbird is entirely responsible for nest building and incubation. She lays two white eggs in a compact cup nest constructed from plant-fibre and dead leaves and decorated with lichens and mosses 1–6 m high on a thin horizontal twig. Incubation takes 15–19 days, and fledging another 20–26.
The food of this species is nectar, taken from a variety of flowers, including Heliconia
s and banana
s. Like other hummingbirds, it also takes small insects as an essential source of protein. Rufous-tailed Hummingbirds are very aggressive, and defend flowers and shrubs in their feeding territories. They are dominant over most other hummingbirds.
Hummingbird
Hummingbirds are birds that comprise the family Trochilidae. They are among the smallest of birds, most species measuring in the 7.5–13 cm range. Indeed, the smallest extant bird species is a hummingbird, the 5-cm Bee Hummingbird. They can hover in mid-air by rapidly flapping their wings...
that breeds from east-central Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, through Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
and Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, east to western Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
and south through western Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
to near the border with Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. The larger Escudo Hummingbird
Escudo Hummingbird
The Escudo Hummingbird is a hummingbird in the subfamily Trochilinae. It was long considered a doubtfully distinct species, but more recently it is generally treated as a subspecies of the Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, A. tzacatl.It is endemic to Isla Escudo de Veraguas in Panama...
from Isla Escudo de Veraguas
Isla Escudo de Veraguas
Isla Escudo de Veraguas is a small isolated Caribbean island of the Republic of Panama. Despite its name, it is not part of the province of Veraguas, but rather Bocas del Toro...
in Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
is commonly considered a subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of the Rufous-tailed Hummingbird.
This is a common to abundant bird of open country, river banks, woodland, scrub, forest edge, coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
plantations and gardens up to 1850 m (6000 ft).
The adult Rufous-tailed Hummingbird is 10–12 cm (4–4.8 in) long and weighs approx. 5.2 g (0.2 oz). The throat is green (edged whitish in the female), the crown, back and flanks are green tinged golden, the belly is pale greyish, the vent and rump are rufous and the slightly forked tail is rufous with a dusky tip. The almost straight bill is red with a black tip; the black is more extensive on the upper mandible, which may appear all black. Immatures are virtually identical to the female. The call is a low chut, and the male’s song is a whistled tse we ts’ we or tse tse wip tseek tse.
The female Rufous-tailed Hummingbird is entirely responsible for nest building and incubation. She lays two white eggs in a compact cup nest constructed from plant-fibre and dead leaves and decorated with lichens and mosses 1–6 m high on a thin horizontal twig. Incubation takes 15–19 days, and fledging another 20–26.
The food of this species is nectar, taken from a variety of flowers, including Heliconia
Heliconia
Heliconia, derived from the Greek word helikonios, is a genus of about 100 to 200 species of flowering plants native to the tropical Americas and the Pacific Ocean islands west to Indonesia. Many species of Heliconia are found in rainforests or tropical wet forests of these regions...
s and banana
Banana
Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
s. Like other hummingbirds, it also takes small insects as an essential source of protein. Rufous-tailed Hummingbirds are very aggressive, and defend flowers and shrubs in their feeding territories. They are dominant over most other hummingbirds.
External links
- Rufous-tailed Hummingbird videos, photos & sounds on the Internet Bird Collection
- Rufous-tailed Hummingbird photos-3+Gallery; Article w/RangeMaps InfoNatura NatureServe
- Photo-Medium Res; Article chandra.as.utexas.edu–"Birds of Ecuador"
- Rufous-tailed Hummingbird photo gallery VIREO
