Royal sunangel
Royal sunangel | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Clade: | Strisores |
Order: | Apodiformes |
Family: | Trochilidae |
Genus: | Heliangelus |
Species: | H. regalis
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Binomial name | |
Heliangelus regalis | |
The royal sunangel (Heliangelus regalis) is an endangered species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Ecuador and Peru.[4][5][6]
Taxonomy and systematics
The royal sunangel was originally described in 1979 as
Description
The royal sunangel is 10 to 12 cm (3.9 to 4.7 in) long and weighs 3.4 to 4.5 g (0.12 to 0.16 oz). Its black bill is short and straight. Both subspecies are strongly
Adult females of the two subspecies are similar to those of the rest of genus Heliangelus and differ only slightly between them. They are dark green above and rich cinnamon with bronzy green discs below. A buffy breastband separates the throat and chest. Their tails are not as deeply forked as those of the males. The nominate female's tail is blue-black and that of johnsoni is metallic indigo like that of the male. Juveniles are like the females but with gray spots instead of green on the throat. The amount of blue in males increases with age and typically the gorget is the first area to achieve it.[9]
Distribution and habitat
The nominate subspecies of royal sunangel is mostly found in the
The royal sunangel inhabits a few specialized landscapes. It is most numerous in "elfin scrub", a rather dry grassland habitat with mossy stunted forest and small bushes that forms the transition between dry savannah and humid
Behavior
Movement
The royal sunangel's movements have not been documented but seasonal altitudinal changes are likely. Outside the breeding season it seems that females tend to occur at lower elevations than males.[9]
Feeding
The royal sunangel feeds on nectar and insects. Several flowering plants, shrubs, and small trees have been identified as nectar sources. Males are highly territorial at flowering bushes. Both sexes often feed by perching on a flower rather than hovering, and they have been observed "robbing" nectar from holes pierced by other birds. They capture insects by hawking from a perch and by gleaning from vegetation.[9]
Breeding
The few records suggest that the royal sunangel's breeding season is from July to September. The clutch of two white eggs is incubated by the female. Nothing else is known about the species' breeding phenology and no nest has been described.[9]
Vocalization
The royal sunangel has a wide variety of vocalizations. During aerial displays males give "a series of emphatic 'tseep' notes". Two agonistic males "uttered an endless, thin, high-pitched jumble of 'jijijit’jijit’jijit’jijiji…' notes". Calls given while feeding are "a repeated short dry and emphatis 'tsik' or 'tsawk'". One male gave "a sharp, high-pitched, fast 'chichúp chúp!'" and a female "a thin, high-pitched 'tziíp!'".[9]
Status
The
References
- ^ a b BirdLife International (2022). "Royal Sunangel Heliangelus regalis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2022: e.T22687901A210187058. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
- ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
- ^ Wilson Bulletin. 91: 177–186.
- ^ . Retrieved January 15, 2022.
- ^ a b HBW and BirdLife International (2020) Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world Version 5. Available at: http://datazone.birdlife.org/userfiles/file/Species/Taxonomy/HBW-BirdLife_Checklist_v5_Dec20.zip [.xls zipped 1 MB] retrieved May 27, 2021
- ^ Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 24 August 2021. Species Lists of Birds for South American Countries and Territories. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCCountryLists.htm retrieved August 24, 2021
- .
- ^ Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2021. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2021. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/ Retrieved August 25, 2021
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Heynen, I., P. F. D. Boesman, and G. M. Kirwan (2020). Royal Sunangel (Heliangelus regalis), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.roysun1.01 retrieved January 22, 2022
- ^ Krabbe, N.; Ahlman, F.L. (2008). "Royal Sunangel Heliangelus regalis at Yankuam Lodge, Ecuador". Cotinga. 31: 31.