Violet-throated starfrontlet facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Violet-throated starfrontlet |
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Coeligena
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| Species: |
violifer
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The violet-throated starfrontlet (Coeligena violifer) is a type of hummingbird. It belongs to a group of hummingbirds called "brilliants." You can find this bird in Bolivia and Peru. It might also live in Ecuador.
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About the Violet-throated Starfrontlet
Scientists group living things into categories. This is called taxonomy. The violet-throated starfrontlet and many other birds in its group, Coeligena, were once in a different group called Helianthea. They moved to their current group in the mid-1900s.
There are different ideas about how many types of violet-throated starfrontlets there are. Some groups, like the International Ornithological Committee (IOC), say there is one species with four main types, called subspecies. Other groups, like BirdLife International, think each of these four types is a separate species.
The four subspecies are:
- C. v. dichroura (also called the "Huanuco" starfrontlet)
- C. v. albicaudata (the "Apurimac" starfrontlet)
- C. v. osculans (the "Cuzco" starfrontlet)
- C. v. violifer (the "Bolivian" starfrontlet)
What Does It Look Like?
All four types of violet-throated starfrontlets are about 13 to 14.5 cm (5.1 to 5.7 in) long. They all have long, straight, black beaks. The female birds usually have longer beaks than the males. Both male and female birds have a white spot right behind their eyes. Their tails are forked, meaning they split at the end. The male's tail is more deeply split than the female's.
The Bolivian Starfrontlet (C. v. violifer)
Male birds of this type weigh about 8 to 13 g (0.28 to 0.46 oz). Females weigh about 4 to 6 g (0.14 to 0.21 oz). The male's head is a dark bluish-black, and its back is a shiny bronze-green. Its tail is orange-buff with small bronze tips. The male's throat and upper chest are green. It has a bright, shimmery violet spot on its throat. A thin gray band separates its upper chest from its green lower chest and cinnamon-colored belly.
The female of this type has a green head. Her throat is buff-colored with green spots. Her chest is a dark green.
The Huanuco Starfrontlet (C. v. dichroura)
Males of this type weigh about 4 to 10 g (0.14 to 0.35 oz). Females weigh about 7.9 g (0.28 oz). Male birds have a bright emerald green forehead. They have a bluish patch on their throat and a whitish band on their chest. Their tail has a wide bronze band at the end. The female looks similar but does not have the throat patch.
The Apurimac Starfrontlet (C. v. albicaudata)
This type weighs about 6 to 12 g (0.21 to 0.42 oz). Male birds have a bottle-green head with a shiny turquoise forehead. Their back is a bright golden copper color. The outer feathers of their tail are whitish to pale green at the ends. The other tail feathers are a darker green. Their chin is moss green, and their throat patch is violet. Their chest is moss green, and their belly is golden green. Females look similar to the female Bolivian starfrontlet but have the same tail colors as the males of this type.
The Cuzco Starfrontlet (C. v. osculans)
Males of this type weigh about 5 to 11 g (0.18 to 0.39 oz). Females weigh about 5 to 7 g (0.18 to 0.25 oz). Male birds have a greenish-turquoise forehead and a dark, shiny green crown. Their tail has a narrow bronze band at the end. The spot on their throat can look different from bird to bird. Their belly is a pale cinnamon color. The female looks similar but does not have the turquoise forehead or the throat patch.
Where They Live and Their Homes
The violet-throated starfrontlets live in different parts of the Andes mountains.
- Huanuco Starfrontlet (C. v. dichroura): Found in the Andes of southern Peru. Some reports say they are in Ecuador, but not all scientists agree. They live in cloudforests and elfin forests, especially at the edges or in open areas. They also live in secondary forests (forests that have grown back after being cut down). They are found at heights between 1,900 and 3,700 meters (6,200 and 12,100 ft) above sea level.
- Apurimac Starfrontlet (C. v. albicaudata): Lives in the Andes of southern Peru, in the Apurímac River valley. They prefer the lower parts of elfin forests. They are found at heights between 2,250 and 3,600 meters (7,380 and 11,800 ft) above sea level.
- Cuzco Starfrontlet (C. v. osculans): Found in the Andes of southeastern Peru. Like the Huanuco type, they live at the edges and in clearings of cloudforests and elfin forests, and also in secondary forests. They are found at heights between 2,000 and 3,700 meters (6,600 and 12,100 ft) above sea level.
- Bolivian Starfrontlet (C. v. violifer): Lives in the Andes of northwestern Bolivia. They also live at the edges and in clearings of cloudforests and elfin forests, and in secondary forests. They can be found from 1,300 to 3,700 meters (4,300 to 12,100 ft) high. They are most common between 2,800 and 3,300 meters (9,200 and 10,800 ft).
How They Behave
Movement
Scientists believe that three of the violet-throated starfrontlet types move to different heights depending on the season. We don't have information about the movements of the Apurimac starfrontlet.
Feeding
The Bolivian starfrontlet eats nectar from flowers. It flies along a regular path, visiting many different flowering plants. Some of these plants include Vriesea, Bomarea, and Fuchsia. It often gets nectar from plants at the edge of bushy areas. Besides nectar, it also eats small arthropods (like insects or spiders). It picks them off plants or catches them while flying. The other three types of starfrontlets probably eat in similar ways, but scientists haven't studied them as much.
Reproduction
The Bolivian starfrontlet's breeding season is from November to January. The Apurimac starfrontlet seems to start breeding in July or August. We don't know much more about how or when these birds, or the other types, reproduce.
Vocalization
The song of the Bolivian starfrontlet is thought to be a soft, long whistle followed by three sounds like "drreeeuw…nyeh-nyeh-nyeh." It also makes "very sweet and mellow" single or double notes.
The songs of the Apurimac and Cuzco starfrontlets are a "rhythmic phrase, 'wet-tsee-tser'" that changes with high-pitched notes. They have small differences in their songs. The Huanuco starfrontlet's song is a "long series of single 'tchit' notes." When it flies, it makes a "jerky mix of squeaky notes and rattles."
Conservation Status
The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) considers all four types of violet-throated starfrontlets as separate species. All of them are listed as being of "Least Concern." This means they are not currently in danger of disappearing. However, we don't know exactly how many of these birds there are, and their numbers are believed to be going down.
All four types live in somewhat small areas. These areas are losing forests because of deforestation (trees being cut down). But because these birds live in open forests and clearings, they might be able to live in areas that have been changed by humans to some extent.
See also
In Spanish: Inca gorgimorado para niños
