Curve-winged sabrewing facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Curve-winged sabrewing |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Apodiformes |
| Family: | Trochilidae |
| Genus: | Pampa |
| Species: |
P. curvipennis
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| Binomial name | |
| Pampa curvipennis (Deppe, 1830)
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| Distribution map of Pampa curvipennis (left) | |
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| Synonyms | |
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The curve-winged sabrewing (Pampa curvipennis) is a type of hummingbird. It belongs to a group of hummingbirds called "emeralds". This bird lives only in Mexico.
Contents
About This Hummingbird
What is a Curve-Winged Sabrewing?
The curve-winged sabrewing is a large hummingbird. It has a long, wedge-shaped tail. Males are usually between 11.5 to 13.5 centimeters (about 4.5 to 5.3 inches) long. Females are a bit smaller.
How Do They Look?
Male curve-winged sabrewings have a shiny violet-blue or greenish-blue crown (the top of their head). Their upper body is metallic green or bronze-green. Their tail feathers are mostly dull bluish-green with purplish-black tips. They have a grayish-white face with a white spot behind each eye. Their belly is dull grayish-white.
Female birds look much like the males. However, their crown is a duller blue. The tips of their two outer tail feathers are wide and dull gray or whitish. Young birds look similar to adult females but have a duller crown and a pale cinnamon color on their belly.
There is also a subspecies called P. c. excellens. These birds are a bit longer, from 12 to 14 centimeters (about 4.7 to 5.5 inches). Males of this type have a bright violet crown and deep metallic green upper parts. Their tail is dull metallic green with blackish-violet tips. Females have a duller crown and white tail tips.
Where Do They Live?
Finding Their Home
The curve-winged sabrewing lives in southeastern Mexico. You can find them from San Luis Potosí south to Veracruz and Oaxaca.
The P. excellens subspecies lives in a smaller area. This is around the Sierra de los Tuxtlas in the states of Veracruz, Tabasco, and Chiapas.
Their Favorite Places
These hummingbirds like to live inside and at the edges of forests. These forests can be somewhat dry or very humid. They usually live from sea level up to about 1,300 or 1,400 meters (about 4,200 to 4,600 feet) high. They are more common in lower areas.
How Do They Behave?
Moving Around
Scientists think curve-winged sabrewings usually stay in one place. But they might move to different elevations during certain seasons.
What Do They Eat?
Like all hummingbirds, the curve-winged sabrewing drinks nectar from flowers. They also eat small insects. They usually look for food in the lower and middle parts of the forest.
Raising Their Young
Not much is known about how curve-winged sabrewings raise their young. The main subspecies is thought to nest between March and July. The excellens subspecies might breed from September to May.
Their Sounds
Curve-winged sabrewings make different sounds. Some sounds are steady chipping noises. They also make a loud, nasal "peek" sound.
They often sing from thick bushes. Their songs are complex and change a lot. They can include insect-like chips, squeaks, and squeals. These are often followed by excited warbling or gurgling notes. Male birds sing all year long, sometimes in small groups. They might move their tail or wings when they sing while perched.
Their Conservation Status
Are They Safe?
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) looks at how safe different animal species are. They consider the curve-winged sabrewing as part of a larger group. This larger group is listed as "Least Concern." This means they are not currently in danger of disappearing. However, their exact population size is not known, and it is thought to be decreasing.
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