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The '''Bahama woodstar''' (''Calliphlox evelynae'') is a [[species]] of [[hummingbird]] endemic of the [[Bahama Islands|Bahama Islands.]]
The '''Bahama woodstar''' (''Calliphlox evelynae'') is a [[species]] of [[hummingbird]] endemic of the [[Bahama Islands|Bahama Islands.]] It is named the "Hummer" by locals due to a distinct humming sound it makes while feeding <ref name=":0" />.


== Recognition ==
== Description ==
The Bahama woodstar is a small hummingbird, growing to be only about {{convert|8|to|9.5|cm|in|abbr=on}} in length.<ref>[http://www.press.princeton.edu/birds/arlott/hummingbird/woodstar.html]</ref> These birds weigh around {{convert|2.4|to|3|g|oz|abbr=on}}.<ref name = "CRC">''CRC Handbook of Avian Body Masses'' by John B. Dunning Jr. (Editor). CRC Press (1992), ISBN 978-0-8493-4258-5.</ref> Their backs are green and gold, with olive-buff underparts, and flanks fading into white (males) or cinnamon (females). Wings are brown and their tails appear a blackish-purple <ref>Cory, C. B. (1890). The birds of the Bahama Islands : containing many birds new to the Islands, and a number of undescribed winter plumages of North American birds. Boston, U.S.A.: Estes & Lauriat.</ref>. Males have a fork-shaped tail while females display a more rounded tail with wider feathers. Male gorgets show bright purple iridescent feathers, while females do not, which lighten as breeding season ends <ref>Feo, T. J., Musser, J. M., Berv, J., & Clark, C. J. (2015). Divergence in morphology, calls, song, mechanical sounds, and genetics supports species status for the Inaguan hummingbird (Trochilidae: Calliphlox evelynae lyrura). tauk The Auk, 132(1), 248-264.</ref>. Bills on both the male and females are slightly decurved.<ref name="CRC" />
The Bahama woodstar is a small hummingbird, growing to be only about {{convert|8|to|9.5|cm|in|abbr=on}} in length.<ref>[http://www.press.princeton.edu/birds/arlott/hummingbird/woodstar.html]</ref> These birds weigh around {{convert|2.4|to|3|g|oz|abbr=on}}.<ref name = "CRC">''CRC Handbook of Avian Body Masses'' by John B. Dunning Jr. (Editor). CRC Press (1992), ISBN 978-0-8493-4258-5.</ref> Their backs are green and gold, with olive-buff underparts, and flanks fading into white (males) or cinnamon (females). Wings are brown and their tails appear a blackish-purple <ref name=":0">Cory, C. B. (1890). The birds of the Bahama Islands : containing many birds new to the Islands, and a number of undescribed winter plumages of North American birds. Boston, U.S.A.: Estes & Lauriat.</ref>. Males have a fork-shaped tail while females display a more rounded tail with wider feathers. Male have bright purple iridescent gorgets lined with a white stripe, which dull out as breeding season ends. Females do not have the purple throat or white stripe <ref>Feo, T. J., Musser, J. M., Berv, J., & Clark, C. J. (2015). Divergence in morphology, calls, song, mechanical sounds, and genetics supports species status for the Inaguan hummingbird (Trochilidae: Calliphlox evelynae lyrura). tauk The Auk, 132(1), 248-264.</ref>. Bills on both the males and females are slightly decurved.<ref name="CRC" />


== Distribution ==
== Distribution ==

Revision as of 00:22, 12 October 2015

Bahama woodstar
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Phylum:
Class:
Order:
Family:
Genus:
Species:
C. evelynae
Binomial name
Calliphlox evelynae
(Bourcier, 1847)
Synonyms

Philodice evelynae

The Bahama woodstar (Calliphlox evelynae) is a species of hummingbird endemic of the Bahama Islands. It is named the "Hummer" by locals due to a distinct humming sound it makes while feeding [2].

Description

The Bahama woodstar is a small hummingbird, growing to be only about 8 to 9.5 cm (3.1 to 3.7 in) in length.[3] These birds weigh around 2.4 to 3 g (0.085 to 0.106 oz).[4] Their backs are green and gold, with olive-buff underparts, and flanks fading into white (males) or cinnamon (females). Wings are brown and their tails appear a blackish-purple [2]. Males have a fork-shaped tail while females display a more rounded tail with wider feathers. Male have bright purple iridescent gorgets lined with a white stripe, which dull out as breeding season ends. Females do not have the purple throat or white stripe [5]. Bills on both the males and females are slightly decurved.[4]

Distribution

Habitat

The Bahama woodstar is endemic to the Bahama Islands. They are found in many different habitats on some of the major islands except may be rare or absent where the Cuban Emerald (Chlorostilbon ricordii) also occurs.

Taxonomy

The Inagua woodstar, Calliphlox lyrura was formerly considered a subspecies. However, hummingbird species can be separated depending on morphological differences such as tail shape and presence or absence of iridescent feathers, both known to play a role in sexual selection [6]. It has a fully iridescent crown and a more lyre-shaped tail than the Bahama woodstar.

It does not migrate, but has been seen as a vagrant in SE Florida in the United States. In April 2013 a bird was seen for three days at a feeder in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.[7]

Behaviour

Diet

Vocalizations

Reproduction

Nesting is done in a small cup made of plant down, bark and cobwebs. The female lays 2 elliptical white eggs, which will incubate for 15–18 days. This hummingbird nests all year round.

References

  1. ^ Template:IUCN
  2. ^ a b Cory, C. B. (1890). The birds of the Bahama Islands : containing many birds new to the Islands, and a number of undescribed winter plumages of North American birds. Boston, U.S.A.: Estes & Lauriat.
  3. ^ [1]
  4. ^ a b CRC Handbook of Avian Body Masses by John B. Dunning Jr. (Editor). CRC Press (1992), ISBN 978-0-8493-4258-5.
  5. ^ Feo, T. J., Musser, J. M., Berv, J., & Clark, C. J. (2015). Divergence in morphology, calls, song, mechanical sounds, and genetics supports species status for the Inaguan hummingbird (Trochilidae: Calliphlox evelynae lyrura). tauk The Auk, 132(1), 248-264.
  6. ^ Clark, C. J. (2010). The Evolution of Tail Shape in Hummingbirds. tauk The Auk, 127(1), 44-56.
  7. ^ [1]