The Mexican woodnymph (''Eupherusa ridgwayi'') is a species of hummingbird in the family

Trochilidae 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 ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to western

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. It lives in subtropical or tropical moist lowland/foothill forest and plantations, feeding on flower nectar and insects. Mexican woodnymphs are vulnerable, threatened by habitat loss through

deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated ...

Taxonomy

The Mexican woodnymph was formerly placed in the genus '' Thalurania'' that contains other species with "woodnymph" in their English names. A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2014 found that ''Thalurania'' was non-monophyletic and that the Mexican woodnymph is closely related to species in the genus '' Eupherusa''. Based on this result the Mexican woodnymph is now placed in ''Eupherusa''. The Mexican woodnymph is

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...

: there are no recognised subspecies.

Description

Mexican woodnymphs are small birds, generally 9-10 centimeters long. Females weigh around 3.5 grams and males weigh from 3.5 to 4.2 grams. Males have a straight black bill, mostly green body, a dull green chest, a blue-black forked tail, and an indigo

crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...

. Females are similar, mostly green with darker green tail and wings, a light gray chest. They lack the characteristic indigo crown, instead have a white spot behind their eyes and green disks on the sides of their chest. One known vocalization consists of an irregular series of 2-4 quick notes. Their call has been described as a "liquid rattle".

Distribution and habitat

Mexican woodnymphs live exclusively in the northern mountains of western

, with habitat in the states of

Nayarit Nayarit (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Nayarit ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Nayarit), is one of the 31 states that, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 20 municipalities and its ...

, Jalisco and

Colima Colima (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Colima ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Colima), is one of the 31 states that make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It shares its name with its capital and main city, Colima. Colima i ...

. They are not migratory and spend the whole year in their small range. They are the northernmost species of their genus. Although there is little known of the specific habitat requirements for Mexican woodnymphs, we are aware that they reside in humid forests, canyons and foothills at elevations of 250–1200 meters. They can be found at the forest and open woodland, and may inhabit some coffee plantations.

Behavior

Breeding

Mexican woodnymphs breed in February and March. They are

sexually dimorphic Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most ani ...

, and it is believed that male hummingbirds are sexually selected for based on their feather arrangement and coloring, resulting in a wide range of colors and looks.

Food and feeding

Mexican woodnymphs are nectivorous and insectivorous. They feed primarily on flower nectar from a variety of flowering plants, including:

Rubiaceae The Rubiaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the coffee, madder, or bedstraw family. It consists of terrestrial trees, shrubs, lianas, or herbs that are recognizable by simple, opposite leaves with interpetiolar stipules a ...

Zingiberaceae Zingiberaceae () or the ginger family is a family of flowering plants made up of about 50 genera with a total of about 1600 known species of aromatic perennial herbs with creeping horizontal or tuberous rhizomes distributed throughout tropical Af ...

and epiphytes. They also eat arthropods by catching them in the air or eating them off vegetation.

Conservation status

Mexican woodnymphs are listed as vulnerable due to

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

. As evident from their restricted range, they are dependent on the forest health of western Mexico, where

is threatening the habitat. Unfortunately, since there is little information on their habitat needs and natural history, there is insufficient data on how to protect this species.

References

External links

Illustrations, bird song, and distribution mapWoodnymph distribution
{{Taxonbar, from=Q384905 Mexican woodnymph Endemic birds of Western Mexico Hummingbird species of Central America Mexican woodnymph Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN