Copper-rumped hummingbird

The copper-rumped hummingbird (Saucerottia tobaci) is a small bird that breeds in Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, and has occurred as a vagrant on Grenada. It is a seasonal migrant in parts of Venezuela.

Copper-rumped hummingbird
S. t. erythronota, Trinidad
S. t. tobaci, Tobago
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Apodiformes
Family: Trochilidae
Genus: Saucerottia
Species:
S. tobaci
Binomial name
Saucerottia tobaci
(Gmelin, 1788)
Range in green
Synonyms

Saucerottia tobaci

A. t. tobaci in flight, Tobago

Taxonomy

This species was formerly placed in the genus Amazilia. A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2014 found that the genus Amazilia was polyphyletic.[2] In the revised classification to create monophyletic genera, the copper-rumped hummingbird was moved to the resurrected genus Saucerottia.[3][4]

Description

The copper-rumped hummingbird is 8.6 cm long and weighs 4.7 g. The bill is fairly long, straight and mostly black with some pink on the lower mandible. The adult has copper-green upperparts, becoming copper-bronze on the rump. The head and underparts are bright green, the thighs are white and the tail and legs are black. The sexes are similar.

The call of this species is a chip, and the song is a high-pitched tyee-tyee-tyoo.

Distribution and habitat

This hummingbird inhabits open country, gardens and cultivation. The female copper-rumped hummingbird lays its eggs in a tiny cup nest on a low branch, or sometimes wires or clotheslines. Incubation takes 16–17 days, and fledging another 19–23, and there may be up to three broods in a season. It is the predominant species of hummingbird in Trinidad and Tobago.

The subspecies which breeds in Trinidad, S. t. erythronotos, is smaller and has more bronzing on the upperparts than the nominate S. t. tobaci of Tobago. The latter race has occurred as a vagrant to Grenada. There are several other subspecies in Venezuela differing mainly size and in the colour of the rump and back.

Behaviour

The food of this hummingbird is nectar, taken from a wide variety of flowers, and some small insects. Copper-rumped hummingbirds perch conspicuously and defend their territories aggressively against other hummingbirds, bees, and larger bird species; this is especially during mating season, which is early in the year.

References
  1. BirdLife International (2012). "Amazilia tobaci". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. McGuire, J.; Witt, C.; Remsen, J.V.; Corl, A.; Rabosky, D.; Altshuler, D.; Dudley, R. (2014). "Molecular phylogenetics and the diversification of hummingbirds". Current Biology. 24 (8): 910–916. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2014.03.016.
  3. Stiles, F.G.; Remsen, J.V. Jr.; Mcguire, J.A. (2017). "The generic classification of the Trochilini (Aves: Trochilidae): Reconciling taxonomy with phylogeny". Zootaxa. 4353 (3): 401–424. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4353.3.
  4. Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (July 2020). "Hummingbirds". IOC World Bird List Version 10.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
  • ffrench, Richard (1991). A Guide to the Birds of Trinidad and Tobago (2nd ed.). Comstock Publishing. ISBN 0-8014-9792-2.
  • Hilty, Steven L (2003). Birds of Venezuela. London: Christopher Helm. ISBN 0-7136-6418-5.
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