Snowcap facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Snowcap |
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Microchera
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albocoronata
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The snowcap (Microchera albocoronata) is a tiny, beautiful hummingbird. It's known for the bright white patch on its head, which looks like a little snowcap! You can find these amazing birds in parts of Central America, including Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama.
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Meet the Snowcap Hummingbird Family
The snowcap hummingbird has two main types, called subspecies. Think of them like different versions of the same bird. Their scientific names are M. a. albocoronata and M. a. parvirostris. The first one was originally named Mellisuga albo-coronata, and the second was called Panychlora parvirostris.
What Does a Snowcap Look Like?
The snowcap is a very small bird. It's only about 6.5 to 7 centimeters (around 2.5 to 2.7 inches) long. It weighs about 2.7 grams, which is less than a penny! Both male and female snowcaps have a short black beak and black legs.
Adult males of both types have the famous white forehead and crown. This white patch gives them their English and scientific names. Males of the M. a. albocoronata type have dark purple upper parts. Their neck is purplish black, and their back and tail feathers have a reddish shine. Their face and belly are black with a reddish-purple glow. Their middle tail feathers are bronze, and the others are black with white bases.
Males of the M. a. parvirostris type are a bit different. They have less white on their tail feathers. Their upper and lower parts have a brighter, coppery-purple shine.
Adult females of both types have a metallic green back. Their upper tail feathers are bronze. Their belly is a pale grayish-white. Their middle tail feathers are bronze, and the outer ones are mostly black with white tips and bases. Young males look like adult females at first. But they have a thin white line above their eye. Their whitish belly slowly changes to purplish-black as they grow.
Where Do Snowcaps Live?
The M. a. parvirostris type lives further north and is found in more places. You can find it on the Caribbean side of Central America. This includes southern Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. It might also be in western Panama. Sometimes, it's even seen on Costa Rica's Pacific side.
The M. a. albocoronata type lives in western Panama. It's found on both the Caribbean and Pacific sides there.
Snowcaps like to live in wet lowland and mountain forests. They also live in semi-open woodlands and younger forests that are growing back. They are more common in open areas of the forest, like clearings or plantations. They don't usually go deep into the thick forest. In Costa Rica, they mostly breed at elevations between 300 and 800 meters (about 980 to 2,600 feet). Sometimes, they go as high as 1,000 meters (about 3,300 feet). In Panama, they are found between 600 and 1,650 meters (about 2,000 to 5,400 feet).
Snowcap Behavior
How Snowcaps Move Around
In Costa Rica, snowcaps usually fly down to lower areas after they have babies. But some birds might fly higher than their usual breeding spots. They can go up to about 1,400 meters (about 4,600 feet).
What Snowcaps Eat
Snowcaps look for nectar from flowers at all levels of their home. They search from the ground up to the tops of the trees. Male snowcaps protect their feeding spots from other snowcaps. But they let bigger hummingbirds feed there. They usually drink nectar from small flowers on plants that grow on trees, shrubs, vines, and trees themselves.
Besides nectar, snowcaps also eat small bugs. They pick these bugs off leaves. Male snowcaps also catch tiny insects by flying out from a branch and grabbing them in the air.
Snowcap Reproduction and Life Cycle
In Costa Rica, snowcaps have their breeding season between January and May. We don't know much about their breeding season in other places. Males try to attract females in small groups, up to six birds. They sing from a perch and chase other males away.
Female snowcaps build a small cup-shaped nest. They use scales from tree ferns and soft plant material. They hold it all together with spiderwebs. They also put some moss and lichen on the outside of the nest. The nest is usually placed on a twig or a hanging vine. It's typically between 1.7 and 3 meters (about 5.6 to 9.8 feet) above the ground. A female snowcap usually lays two eggs. We don't know how long it takes for the eggs to hatch or for the young birds to leave the nest.
Snowcap Sounds
The male snowcap's song is a soft, warbling sound. It might sound like "tsitsup tsitsup tsitsup tsew ttttt-tsew" or "tsip-tsee tsippy tsippy tsippy tsip-tick tsew." One of their calls is a soft, high-pitched, dry "tsip." They also make buzzing noises and chattering sounds when they are fighting with other birds.
Is the Snowcap Safe?
The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) has looked at the snowcap's situation. They say it is a species of "Least Concern." This means it's not in immediate danger of disappearing. However, we don't know how many snowcaps there are in the world. Experts believe their numbers might be going down. The IUCN hasn't found any big threats right now. In Costa Rica, the snowcap is common in some areas. But lots of forests are being cut down, which could harm the snowcap's home in many places.
