Green-breasted mountaingem facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Green-breasted mountaingem |
|
|---|---|
.jpg) |
|
| A female | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Lampornis
|
| Species: |
sybillae
|
The green-breasted mountaingem (Lampornis sybillae) is a beautiful type of hummingbird. These tiny, fast-flying birds are known for their bright colors. You can find this special hummingbird in the countries of Honduras and Nicaragua in Central America.
Contents
About the Green-breasted Mountaingem
The green-breasted mountaingem is a unique kind of hummingbird. It is closely related to another bird called the green-throated mountaingem. Scientists sometimes group them together because they are so similar. However, the green-breasted mountaingem is considered its own distinct species.
What Does This Hummingbird Look Like?
This hummingbird is quite small, usually about 10 to 11 centimeters (4 to 4.3 inches) long. It weighs about 4 to 7 grams (0.14 to 0.25 ounces). Males are a bit bigger than females.
Both male and female adult birds have a straight, black beak that is medium in length. Their upper bodies are a shiny, deep metallic grass green. Some parts of their back, near the tail, might have a bronze color. They also have black feathers covering the top of their tail.
You can spot a white stripe that curves behind their eye. Their cheeks are also a deep metallic grass green, with another thin white stripe just below them.
Male and Female Differences
- Adult Males: Most of their underparts are also a shiny metallic grass green. The edges of their feathers are white or grayish-white. Their lower belly, vent area, and the fluffy feathers on their legs are white. The feathers under their tail are green with white edges, while the outer ones are dusky gray with wide white edges. Their central tail feathers are grayish-black, and the others are pale gray to grayish-white with dusky edges.
- Adult Females: They have a buff (light yellowish-brown) chin and throat. Their underparts are grayish-white, but the sides of their chest have metallic green feathers. The two outermost pairs of their tail feathers are white or grayish-white. They have a dusky gray bar near the end. Unlike males, females do not have dusky edges on these tail feathers. Sometimes, a female's central tail feathers might have a green shine on top, which males never have.
Young Hummingbirds
Young green-breasted mountaingems have dark green spots on their throat. The feathers on their upper bodies have buffy to cinnamon-colored tips. As they get older, they start to show the throat and tail colors of the adult birds.
Where Green-breasted Mountaingems Live
You can find the green-breasted mountaingem in central and eastern Honduras. They also live in northwestern Nicaragua.
Preferred Homes (Habitat)
These hummingbirds like to live inside and at the edges of humid evergreen forests. They also live in pine-oak forests. Sometimes, they can be found where pine-oak forests meet cloudforests.
They usually live at high elevations, typically between 1,400 and 2,200 meters (4,600 to 7,200 feet) above sea level. Some people have seen them as low as 750 meters (2,460 feet) and as high as 2,400 meters (7,900 feet).
How Green-breasted Mountaingems Behave
Seasonal Movements
Scientists believe that green-breasted mountaingems move to different elevations depending on the season. This means they might move up or down the mountains at certain times of the year.
What Do They Eat?
Like most hummingbirds, the green-breasted mountaingem drinks nectar from flowers. They also eat small insects and spiders. However, we don't know many details about exactly what they eat or how they find their food.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
We don't know much about how green-breasted mountaingems raise their young. What little information we have suggests that their breeding season is from about November to February.
Sounds and Calls
The song of the green-breasted mountaingem is described as a "soft, scratchy warble." It often ends with a trill, which is a quick, vibrating sound. Male hummingbirds usually sing from hidden spots. Sometimes, they sing out in the open or even while flying. Both male and female birds make short, buzzing "shrrrt" calls when they are feeding.
Conservation Status
The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) has listed the green-breasted mountaingem as a species of "Least Concern." This means they are not currently in immediate danger of disappearing. However, we don't know how many of these birds there are, and their numbers are thought to be decreasing.
No direct threats have been found for them yet. But, the places where the green-breasted mountaingem lives are small and scattered. These habitats are likely to shrink even more because of global warming.
