Buff-breasted sabrewing facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Buff-breasted sabrewing |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Campylopterus
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| Species: |
duidae
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The buff-breasted sabrewing is a type of hummingbird. It is also sometimes called the Duida sabrewing. This tiny bird lives in parts of Brazil and Venezuela. It belongs to a group of hummingbirds known as "emeralds."
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How Scientists Classify This Bird
Scientists group living things together based on their features. This is called taxonomy. The buff-breasted sabrewing has a unique history in how it's been classified. Some scientists thought it should be in its own group, or genus, called Loxopterus.
Others wondered if it was the same species as the rufous-breasted sabrewing. They also thought it might be a "sister species" to it. This means they are very closely related. Most major classification systems today do not agree with these ideas. However, one system, the Clements taxonomy, does see them as sister species.
The buff-breasted sabrewing has two main types, or subspecies. These are C. d. duidae and C. d. guaiquinimae.
What Does the Buff-Breasted Sabrewing Look Like?
This small hummingbird is about 10 to 13 centimeters (4 to 5 inches) long. It weighs about 5 to 7 grams (0.18 to 0.25 ounces). That's about the weight of two pennies!
Both male and female sabrewings look very similar. They both have a straight, black beak. Their upper bodies are a shiny bronze-green color. This green is a bit brighter on their heads. Their undersides are a dull grayish color with a hint of tawny brown on their sides.
Their central tail feathers are bronze. The outer tail feathers have dull bronze bases and orangey-red tips. The subspecies C. d. guaiquinimae has slightly different green upper parts. Its tail is also a bit darker than the other subspecies.
Where Does the Buff-Breasted Sabrewing Live?
The main subspecies, C. d. duidae, lives on special flat-topped mountains called tepuis. These mountains are found in southern Venezuela and nearby northern Brazil. The other subspecies, C. d. guaiquinimae, is only found on one specific tepui called Cerro Guaiquinima in southern Venezuela.
These birds like to live in evergreen montane forests at lower elevations. They also live in the higher scrublands on the tepuis. You can find them at heights between 1,200 and 1,700 meters (about 3,900 to 5,600 feet) above sea level.
How Does the Buff-Breasted Sabrewing Behave?
Movement
The buff-breasted sabrewing stays in its home area all year long. It does not migrate to other places.
Feeding Habits
This hummingbird finds its food from the lower parts of the forest up to the middle layers. It mostly eats nectar from flowers. It also catches small arthropods, which are tiny insects and spiders.
Breeding and Nests
Scientists have seen nests of buff-breasted sabrewings about 2 to 3 meters (6 to 10 feet) off the ground. However, not much else is known about how or when they breed.
What Does It Sound Like?
The song of the buff-breasted sabrewing has not been fully described in words. But its calls include "buzzy chipping notes" like 'chzzi'. It also makes a longer chattering sound, like 'chi-zizi' or 'chizizizizizizi'.
What is the Buff-Breasted Sabrewing's Status?
The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) looks at how many of each animal species are left. They have listed the buff-breasted sabrewing as "Least Concern." This means it is not currently in danger of disappearing.
However, this bird lives in a very small area. Its total population size is not known. Scientists believe its numbers might be going down. Even so, it is considered common within its small home range.
