The outcrop sabrewing or dry-forest sabrewing (''Campylopterus calcirupicola'') is a Vulnerable 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 ...

in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is endemic to eastern Brazil.HBW and BirdLife International (2021) Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world. Version 6. Available at: http://datazone.birdlife.org/userfiles/file/Species/Taxonomy/HBW-BirdLife_Checklist_v6_Dec21.zip retrieved August 7, 2022

Taxonomy and systematics

What is now the outcrop sabrewing was treated as part of the ''diamatinensis'' subspecies of the

grey-breasted sabrewing The grey-breasted sabrewing (''Campylopterus largipennis'') is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, the Guianas, Peru, and Venezuela.HBW and BirdLif ...

(''Campylopterus largipennis''). In a 2017 paper Lopes et al. provided convincing evidence that both the outcrop sabrewing and ''diamatinensis'' ''

sensu stricto ''Sensu'' is a Latin word meaning "in the sense of". It is used in a number of fields including biology, geology, linguistics, semiotics, and law. Commonly it refers to how strictly or loosely an expression is used in describing any particular co ...

'' deserved species status. The South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society and worldwide taxonomic systems agreed, recognizing the outcrop and

Diamantina sabrewing The Diamantina sabrewing (''Campylopterus diamantinensis'') is a Near-threatened species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is endemic to southeastern Brazil.HBW and BirdLife International (2021) Ha ...

s. Both are monotypic.Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 24 July 2022. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved July 24, 2022Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2021. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2021. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/ Retrieved August 25, 2021

Description

The outcrop sabrewing is very similar to its "parents", the grey-breasted and especially the Diamantina sabrewings. Males weigh about and females . The sexes have almost identical plumage. Their bill is long and slightly decurved. Their upperparts are bright bronze green with coppery reflections on the darker crown. They have a white spot behind the eye. Their underparts are pale gray that lightens to whitish on the abdomen and light gray on the undertail

coverts A covert feather or tectrix on a bird is one of a set of feathers, called coverts (or ''tectrices''), which, as the name implies, cover other feathers. The coverts help to smooth airflow over the wings and tail. Ear coverts The ear coverts are sm ...

. Their central pair of tail feathers is bright bronze green, the next pair bright bronze green with a dark olive gray spot at the end, and the rest have bright bronze green bases, narrow dark olive gray bands near the tip, and white tips.Greeney, H. F. (2021). Outcrop Sabrewing (''Campylopterus calcirupicola''), version 1.1. In Birds of the World (S. M. Billerman, B. K. Keeney, P. G. Rodewald, and T. S. Schulenberg, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.gybsab4.01.1 retrieved August 7, 2022

Distribution and habitat

The outcrop sabrewing is found only in a small part of eastern Brazil. It is known from northeastern Goiás, southwestern Bahia, and northern Minas Gerais, and suspected to also be found in southeastern Tocantins and southern

Piauí Piaui (, ) is one of the states of Brazil, located in the country's Northeast Region. The state has 1.6% of the Brazilian population and produces 0.7% of the Brazilian GDP. Piaui has the shortest coastline of any coastal Brazilian state at 66&n ...

. Though exact details of its habitat requirements have not been determined, it is known mostly from dry forests on limestone outcrops and calcareous soils derived from them. It is known only in a very limited elevational range between .

Behavior

Movement

The outcrop sabrewing's movements, if any, have not been documented.

Feeding

The outcrop sabrewing's foraging strategy and diet are poorly known, but it does take nectar from a variety of native and introduced plant species.

Breeding

The outcrop sabrewing's breeding season appears to span from May to December, but nothing else is known about its breeding

phenology Phenology is the study of periodic events in biological life cycles and how these are influenced by seasonality, seasonal and interannual variations in climate, as well as environmental factor, habitat factors (such as elevation). Examples includ ...

. Its nest and eggs have not been described.

Vocalization

The outcrop sabrewing's vocalizations have not been put into words, but recordings are available in xeno-canto and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Macaulay Library.

Status

The

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

has assessed the outcrop sabrewing as Vulnerable. It has a very limited range and habitat requirements. Its estimated population of between 2400 and 15,000 mature individuals is believed to be decreasing. Though forest in much of its range has been altered or destroyed, the outcrop areas are not very desirable for agriculture. Mining and hydroelectric power projects do pose future threats. Parts of its range are protected in one national and one state park.