Bahama woodstar
| Bahama woodstar | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Trochiliformes |
| Family: | Trochilidae |
| Genus: | Calliphlox |
| Species: | C. evelynae |
| Binomial name | |
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Calliphlox evelynae (Bourcier, 1847) |
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| Synonyms | |
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Philodice evelynae |
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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.
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. These birds weigh around 2.4 to 3 g (0.085 to 0.106 oz). 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. Males have a fork-shaped tail while females display a more rounded tail with wider feathers. Males 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. Both males and females have black, slightly curved bills and black feet.
The Bahama woodstar is distributed around the Bahama Archipelago, including the Turks and Caicos Islands and with exception to the Inagua islands. It has also been recorded multiple times in Florida, United States. In April 2013 a bird was seen for three days at a feeder in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. They are less plentiful on the Grand Bahama, Abaco and Andros Islands that house the Cuban Emerald, an introduced hummingbird which shows aggression towards the Bahama Woodstar.
Bahama Woodstars are found in many different habitats such as gardens, Scrubland, both secondary growth and dry lowland, the edges of Tropical Evergreen Forests and Pine Forests. They tend not to migrate very far from these habitats being a year-round species. Although they may inhabit the same area as other Woodstars, they are not very social and will often become aggressive towards other birds.
Hummingbirds are the second most abundant group of avian families, having approximately 338 different recognized species. Due to its recent divergence between lineages, the many clades within this group are constantly under close scrutiny and rearrangement. The Bahama Woodstar in particular belongs to the "Bee Clade", the youngest and most extensively diversifying clade. A characteristic of this clade is the fact that males use their tails to make sounds. Relationships between species and genera of this clade are still being re-evaluated.
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Wikipedia