Velvet-browed brilliant facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Velvet-browed brilliant |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Apodiformes |
| Family: | Trochilidae |
| Genus: | Heliodoxa |
| Species: |
H. xanthogonys
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| Binomial name | |
| Heliodoxa xanthogonys |
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The velvet-browed brilliant (Heliodoxa xanthogonys) is a type of hummingbird known for its shiny feathers. It belongs to a group of hummingbirds called "brilliants." You can find this bird in parts of Brazil, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela.
Contents
About the Velvet-Browed Brilliant
Different Types of Velvet-Browed Brilliants
The velvet-browed brilliant has two main groups, called subspecies. Think of them like slightly different versions of the same bird. They are named H. x. xanthogonys and H. x. williardi.
What Does This Hummingbird Look Like?
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This hummingbird is about 10 to 11 centimeters (4 to 4.3 inches) long. Its bill, or beak, is about 2 centimeters (0.8 inches) long. It weighs between 5.5 and 7.5 grams (0.19 to 0.26 ounces). Both male and female birds have a straight bill. The top part of the bill is black, and the bottom part is orange with a dark tip. They also have a small white spot right behind their eye.
Male birds of the main subspecies, H. x. xanthogonys, have a sparkling golden or emerald green crown on their head. They also have a soft, velvety black stripe above their eye. The rest of their face and upper body are a dark golden green. Their upper throat has a bright violet-blue patch. Their chest and belly are dark golden green, and the feathers under their tail are greenish with gray and reddish edges. The feathers on their upper tail and the middle tail feathers are bronze or emerald green. The rest of their tail is a dark greenish-black.
Female birds are usually not as bright or shiny as the males. They do not have the black stripe above their eye or the violet throat patch. Females have a white "moustache" stripe. Most of their underparts are whitish with green spots. Their tail feathers have white tips.
Males of the H. x. williardi subspecies have longer wings and tails than the other type, but they look very similar otherwise. Females of this subspecies have more white and less green on their underparts. They do not have green spots on their belly. Their tail is emerald green with wide white edges on the feathers.
Where Do Velvet-Browed Brilliants Live?
The main subspecies, H. x. xanthogonys, lives in the high areas and flat-topped mountains called tepuis where Venezuela, Guyana, and Brazil meet. They have also been seen a few times in Suriname. The H. x. williardi subspecies lives further south, on the tepuis near the border of southern Venezuela and northern Brazil.
These hummingbirds live inside forests, at the edges of forests, and in clearings. They also like scrublands, which are areas with small trees and bushes. They usually live at heights between 700 and 2000 meters (2,300 to 6,500 feet) above sea level. Sometimes, they can be found as low as 500 meters (1,600 feet).
How Velvet-Browed Brilliants Live
Movement and Travel
Scientists believe that the velvet-browed brilliant usually stays in one area. However, it might move up or down mountains depending on the season.
What Do They Eat?
The velvet-browed brilliant drinks nectar from flowers. They find nectar both low to the ground and high up in the trees. When they are deep inside the forest, they tend to stay low. These birds often follow a "trap-lining" path, visiting a set circuit of flowering plants. They also sometimes protect patches of flowers from other birds. In some seasons, male and female birds might feed in different areas. Besides nectar, they also eat small insects.
Reproduction and Nests
The breeding season for the velvet-browed brilliant seems to be from January to March. They build a nest that looks like a saddle. We don't know much else about how they raise their young.
What Sounds Do They Make?
When flying, the velvet-browed brilliant makes a "squank" sound that sounds a bit like a nose being blown. Another sound they make is a "high-pitched, long, rolling trill" that goes up and down in pitch.
Conservation Status
The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) says that the velvet-browed brilliant is a species of "Least Concern." This means they are not currently in danger of disappearing. However, they live in a limited area, and we don't know how many of them there are. Their numbers are thought to be going down. Even so, they are common in some places. They might also live in other suitable areas that haven't been explored yet.
 | Ernest Everett Just |
 | Mary Jackson |
 | Emmett Chappelle |
 | Marie Maynard Daly |
