The speckled hummingbird (''Adelomyia melanogenys''), is a species of

hummingbird Hummingbirds are birds native to the Americas and comprise the biological family Trochilidae. With about 361 species and 113 genera, they occur from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, but the vast majority of the species are found in the tropics aro ...

. It is the only member of the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomencla ...

''Adelomyia''. It inhabits

Neotropical The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone. Definition In biog ...

montane Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...

cloud forest A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest (TMCF), is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, montane, moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level clou ...

s at elevations of 1,000–2,500 meters and is confined to the Andes of Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela; as well as to some isolated montane forest in western Ecuador and Venezuela. In Ecuador, it ranges across both eastern and western slopes of the Andes and occupies a broad altitudinal range from subtropical forests (1400 m) to cloud forests (3000 m). In addition, one isolated population inhabits the Chongón Colonche cordillera in coastal evergreen montane forest (600 m) located ca. 130 km away from the Andes.

Description

The speckled hummingbird is a monomorphic species, making females and males indistinguishable. Adults measure approximately 8 cm, or 3 inches, in length (from bill to tip of tail). The upper

plumage Plumage ( "feather") is a layer of feathers that covers a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage differ between species and subspecies and may vary with age classes. Within species, ...

is a glossy green/bronze. The underside is pale, with green and bronze specks. It has a black cheek patch below its eye with a white stripe above.

Systematics

While the speckled hummingbird is the only species in its

, evidence suggests that populations on either side of the

Andes mountains The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

are genetically distinct, especially due to its broad geographic and ecological distribution. Relationships with other hummingbirds is uncertain and is still in need of further studies. Based on plumage coloration and biogeography, eight subspecies have been described, and known as: ''Adelomyia melanogenys melanogenys, inornata, connectens, maculata, aenosticta, chlorospila, debellardiana'' and ''cervina''. Recent study of this genus, based on molecular, morphological and ecological data recovered six monophyletic clades which show distributional limits at well-defined geographic barriers, not corresponding with the currently recognized limits of subspecies. Sequence divergence ranged between 5.8% and 8.2% between phylogroups separated by >4000 km and <50 km distances respectively, this gives support to the idea that geographic isolation may be influential at very different scales. Morphological traits are more related to environmental heterogeneity than to geographic barriers and isolation.

Behavior

The speckled hummingbird is a

solitary Solitary is the state of being alone or in solitude. The term may refer to: * shortened form of solitary confinement * Solitary animal, an animal that does not live with others in its species * Solitary but social, a type of social organization in ...

species. They neither live nor migrate in flocks and there is no pair bond for this species, making them a mainly sedentary species. Nevertheless individuals may disperse to lower altitudes as the breeding periods finish.

Breeding

Males do not participate in the any part of nest building or

brooding Egg incubation is the process by which an egg, of oviparous (egg-laying) animals, develops an embryo within the egg, after the egg's formation and ovipositional release. Egg incubation is done under favorable environmental conditions, possib ...

of the young, and disengage with female partners after

copulation Sexual intercourse (or coitus or copulation) is a sexual activity typically involving the insertion and thrusting of the penis into the vagina for sexual pleasure or reproduction.Sexual intercourse most commonly means penile–vaginal penetra ...

. Though, both males and females may be

promiscuous Promiscuity is the practice of engaging in sexual activity frequently with different partners or being indiscriminate in the choice of sexual partners. The term can carry a moral judgment. A common example of behavior viewed as promiscuous by man ...

, having multiple partners. Female speckled hummingbirds incubate and feed nestlings. A clutch consists of two white eggs; measurements consist of 12.4 mm × 8.7 mm and 12.6 mm × 8.6 mm. The incubation period lasts approximately 17–20 days. The species broods for shorter durations than most

s during incubation. Speckled hummingbirds often travel several kilometers to avoid competition, making visits to the nest less frequent. After the young hatch, the adult continues

hatchling In oviparous biology, a hatchling is a newly hatched fish, amphibian, reptile, or bird. A group of mammals called monotremes lay eggs, and their young are hatchlings as well. Fish Fish hatchlings generally do not receive parental care, similar to ...

s for 7–8 days. After brooding and until the young have

fledge Fledging is the stage in a flying animal's life between hatching or birth and becoming capable of flight. This term is most frequently applied to birds, but is also used for bats. For altricial birds, those that spend more time in vulnerab ...

d, the adult will no longer enter the nest and instead perches nearby, potentially watching for predators. This behavior is curious, as perching outside a nest may alert predators of its location. Nests can be found all year round, and consist of a bulky cup shaped of moss and cobweb, lined with plant fibre. The construction of nest have been observed on moss-covered trunks or on rocky ridges, at the entrance of caves, at a height of 1–3 m.

Diet and feeding

The species does not gather with others to feed, even at flowering trees. Speckled hummingbirds feed on the

nectar Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by plants in glands called nectaries or nectarines, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to animal mutualis ...

of flowers, often near the ground, either from short-tubed flowers or holes at the base of long-tubed flowers. Like other

species, it is likely that the speckled hummingbird will also feed on insects, for additional nutrients. The species may also collect small insects that are caught on or in the nest.

Conservation status

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). A very common hummingbird of moderate elevations in the Andes. Particularly abundant in the Andes above of Cali, Colombia, with densities of at least 10–12 pairs/km².

References

External links

Speckled hummingbird videos
on the Internet Bird Collection
Speckled hummingbird photoArticle
pbase.com {{Taxonbar, from=Q503619 speckled hummingbird Birds of the Northern Andes Hummingbird species of South America speckled hummingbird speckled hummingbird