Amazing Hummingbirds, Part 1: The Fiery Throated Hummingbird by Clair C. from Texas - Tuesday, 12 April 2016, 12:21 PM
Hello, Everyone! Here's a little something to explain the New series I'm doing, (Yes, 2 Series at a time. I write one blog on Monday, one on Tuesday.) It's just that I ran across a ton of super cool hummingbirds, and just couldn't pass them up. And I can't save them for next 8-week session because there isn't one. So let's say there's a tree. That's the Rainbow Birds series. And the tree has a branch. That's the new Awesome Hummingbirds series. Awesome hummingbirds is a part of Rainbow birds but it's its own series at the same time. So this is part one of AWESOME HUMMINGBIRDS! Be prepared to have your eyes jump out of your head!! :-
Today I take you into the Heart of Costa Rica!! Here, in the Mountains, the tiny Fiery Throated Hummingbird lives. They also live in western Panama. They inhabit Cloud Forests, second growth, and shrubs of the sub-páramo: Highland pastures with trees.
Scientific name: Panterpe Insignis There is limited Information on this species because they live in such a small range and are hard to observe. But they are listed on the IUCN Red List as Least Concern.
Males and Females are similar in appearance and generally look green with blue tails. But, at the right angle, you can see the male's Flashy gorget (throat patch) which is a glittering golden and copper with red and blue. He has a shimmering blue crown.
These hummingbirds forage on epiphythic flowers by piercing the long-tubed flowers or using holes made by bees. Both males and females are very aggressive defending their feeding grounds during non-breeding season. During breeding season, males aggressively defend their territory, only letting females feed on their flowers.
To see some really cool photos, visit HERE. It's this guy's photo gallery online.
Map: By Cephas Vintage Image with one hummingbird: By Louis Victor Bevalet Vintage Image with 2 Hummingbirds: John Gould Hummingbird with color display: By Joseph C Boone Hummingbird without color display: By Joseph C Boone Flower: By User:Zapyon
Lophornis Hummingbirds - The Tufted Coquet by Clair C. - Tuesday, 19 April 2016, 5:13 PM
Hello, Everyone! Welcome Back to Awesome Hummingbirds! Part 2 is of 3 members of the Lophornis Family. Each will have a few paragraphs, I hope it's not too long. I'm having to cram 3 different species into one blog because they're all so cool, I can't bear to do them in separate blogs and never get to the other awesome hummingbirds. Besides, They are all Lophornis-es, right? So here we go, to South America!! There is only limited information on these birds, so their accounts may be brief.
A small, intricately patterned hummingbird, The male Tufted Coquette has a very pretty feature. With a broad, rufous and black-tipped throat tufts and brilliant orange crest rightly give this species it's name. They can be found at the edged of thickets, and humid forests. They can also be seen around cultivated areas such as savannas and plantations. Singly or in small groups, these gorgeous little hummingbirds can be found searching for nectar and small bugs. The bugs are probably for protein. Because they are adaptable and able to live in human-modified areas, the Tufted Coquette is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
These birds have a very large range, being native to Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, and Bolivia. The lowest elevation they live at is 328 feet Above Sea Level (How about I just call that ASL?) and the highest elevation is 3,280 feet ASL.
This Striking jewel on wings is set apart from other hummingbirds with it's fanning white cheek feathers tipped in iridescent green. It may be confused with the Dot-Eared Coquette, which has more of a dot-pattern like the Tufted Coquette. Male Frilled Coquettes sport a long, beautiful rufous crest, and both male and females have a light rump band. They are common throughout their range, which is made up of a variety of habitats, which are humid forest edges, secondary growth, coffee plantations, and cerrado. They eat both arthropods (probably for protein) and nectar. They may move from place to place with seasonal flower blooms. In interactions with larger hummingbirds, they are considered subordinate, whatever that means. They are native to only Brazil. Their highest elevation is 3,608 feet ASL.
The Festive Coquette looks just about ready to go to a party! There he goes to a flower, Now He's ready! Males boast elegant green cheek tufts tipped in white. Both males and females have a white rump band, but unlike so many others in the genus, they have no rufous crest. They live in Forest edges, second growth, and cerrado where they can usually be seen foraging at flowers and budding trees, and behave similarly to other coquettes.
Photos: Male: THIS PHOTO WAS POSTED ON FLICKR SO THE SOURCE TITLE IS A LINK TO THAT PAGE. Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dariosanches/ The Photo was Taken By: Dario Sanches Female: By Dario Sanches Vintage Image: By John Gould Map: By Cephas (Neotropical Birds Online) Please look up the other members of the Lophornis Family!