Sapphire-vented puffleg

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Sapphire-vented puffleg
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[3]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Clade: Strisores
Order: Apodiformes
Family: Trochilidae
Genus: Eriocnemis
Species:
E. luciani
Binomial name
Eriocnemis luciani
(Bourcier, 1847)

The sapphire-vented puffleg (Eriocnemis luciani) is a species of hummingbird in the "brilliants", tribe Heliantheini in subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and possibly Venezuela.[4][5]

Taxonomy and systematics

The International Ornithological Committee (IOC) and the Clements taxonomy recognize the following five subspecies of sapphire-vented puffleg.[4][6]

BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World accepts several 21st century studies and treats the last two as members a separate species, the coppery-naped puffleg (E. sapphiropygia).[5] The South American Classification Committee (SACC) of the American Ornithological Society declined to recognize that split.[7]

Subspecies E. l. meridae is known only from the holotype that was collected in 1898, and it might be extinct.[8]

Description

The sapphire-vented puffleg is 11.4 to 14 cm (4.5 to 5.5 in) long and weighs 5.4 to 6.4 g (0.19 to 0.23 oz). It has a straight black bill. The nominate subspecies' male has metallic grass green upperparts with a shining dark blue forecrown. Its underparts are mostly glittering golden green with a glittering purple vent and undertail coverts. Its leg puffs are white and the tail is deeply forked and blue-black. The female is slightly smaller, with a less deeply forked tail, but has the same plumage.[8]

Subspecies E. l. meridae is a more bronzy green than the nominate, its chin emerald to golden, and much of its head feathering has iridescent copper fringes. E. l. baptistae is an even deeper bronzy green than meridae. E. l. catharina has upperparts like the nominate but without the blue forecrown. The male's belly is bluer and the centerof the female's belly is whitish. E. l. sapphiropygia is a lighter green than the nominate, lacks the nominate's blue forecrown, and has a bronzy or coppery tinge to the rear of the crown.[8]

Distribution and habitat

The subspecies of sapphire-vented puffleg are found thus (but see the text below):[4][8]

Because E. l. meridae is known only from a single 19th century specimen and might be extinct, the SACC does not include Venezuela in the species' range. The SACC also notes that the species has been recorded as hypothetical (with "no tangible evidence") in Bolivia.[9] There are several gaps in the distribution along the Andes that have not been explained.[8]

The sapphire-vented puffleg inhabits humid montane forest, especially elfin forest and Polylepis woodlands, and is also found in brushy páramo. In Ecuador it ranges between 2,700 and 3,700 m (8,900 and 12,100 ft) of elevation, but occurs mostly below 3,400 m (11,200 ft). In Peru it occurs between 2,400 and 3,500 m (7,900 and 11,500 ft).[8]

Behavior

Feeding

The sapphire-vented puffleg forages for nectar at low levels, where it clings to the flowers of shrubs and understory plants. It has been documented feeding at mistletoes and also plants of genera Barnadesia, Embothrium, Bomarea, and Siphocampylus. It also feeds on small insects like other hummingbirds.[8]

Breeding

Little is known about the sapphire-vented puffleg's breeding phenology. The one described nest was made of moss, lichen, fern leaves, and spiderweb and was hung from a thin twig in dense grass. It contained two white eggs.[8]

Dickcissel male perched on a metal pole singing, with neck stretched and beak open.

Songs and calls
Listen to sapphire-vented puffleg on xeno-canto

Vocalization

The sapphire-vented puffleg's call is described as a "sharp tirr tirr".[8]

Status

The IUCN follows HBW taxonomy and so assesses the sapphire-vented and "coppery-naped" pufflegs separately. Both are assessed as being of Least Concern. Their population sizes are not known but are believed to be stable. No specific threats have been identified.[1][2] The species is variously described as uncommon to locally very common, and "[h]uman activity has little short-term direct effect on Sapphire-vented Puffleg, other than the local effects of habitat destruction".[8]

References

  1. ^ a b BirdLife International (2016). "Sapphire-vented Puffleg Eriocnemis luciani". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T61162182A95164946. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T61162182A95164946.en. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  2. ^ a b BirdLife International (2016). "Coppery-naped Puffleg Eriocnemis sapphiropygia". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T61162365A95165142. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T61162365A95165142.en. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  3. ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  4. ^ a b c Gill, F.; Donsker, D.; Rasmussen, P. (July 2021). "IOC World Bird List (v 12.1)". doi:10.14344/IOC.ML.11.2. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  5. ^ a b HBW and BirdLife International (2020) Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world Version 5. Available at: http://datazone.birdlife.org/userfiles/file/Species/Taxonomy/HBW-BirdLife_Checklist_v5_Dec20.zip [.xls zipped 1 MB] retrieved 27 May 2021
  6. ^ Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2021. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2021. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/ Retrieved August 25, 2021
  7. ^ "RECENT CHANGES". South American Classification Committee (SACC) of the American Ornithological Society. January 31, 2022. Retrieved March 14, 2022. Proposal 147
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Schulenberg, T. S. and C. W. Sedgwick (2020). Sapphire-vented Puffleg (Eriocnemis luciani), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.savpuf1.01 retrieved March 14, 2022
  9. ^ Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 31 January 2022. Species Lists of Birds for South American Countries and Territories. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCCountryLists.htm retrieved February 1, 2022
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