Olivaceous thornbill
Template:Short description Template:Use American English
The olivaceous thornbill (Chalcostigma olivaceum) is a species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Bolivia and Peru.[1][2]
Taxonomy and systematics
The taxonomy of genus Chalcostigma is unsettled. The South American Classification Committee (SACC) of the American Ornithological Society is considering a proposal to merge the genus into Oxypogon.[3] The olivaceous thornbill has two subspecies, the nominate C. o. olivaceum and C. o. pallens.[1]
Description
The olivaceous thornbill is Script error: No such module "convert". long. One male specimen weighed Script error: No such module "convert". and a female one Script error: No such module "convert".. Both sexes have a short black bill. Adult males of the nominate subspecies are mostly dull dark bronzy or olive green, including the tail. The face and throat are dark sooty gray. It has a narrow gorget that is glittering green at the throat and shades through yellow, pink, and purple to blue at its bottom. The adult nominate female is essentially the same but the gorget is much smaller or may be absent. Juveniles have tan margins on some feathers; males' throats are gray brown and females' gray brown with pale margins. C. o. pallens is similar to the nominate but smaller and overall paler. The upperparts have a grayish cast to the bronzy or olive green, the tail is bronzy olive brown, and the underparts are dark sooty brown.[4]
Distribution and habitat
The nominate subspecies of olivaceous thornbill is found from Apurímac in southeastern Peru to Bolivia's La Paz Department. Its distribution is nearly continuous along this axis. C. o. pallens is found on the western slope of the Peruvian Andes between the departments of Ancash and Junín. Its distribution is more patchy, with records only at scattered sites. In elevation the species ranges between Script error: No such module "convert". in Peru and Script error: No such module "convert". in Bolivia. The species is most often found in somewhat humid puna grasslands but also inhabits low scrub and the edges of dense woods of Polylepis and Gynoxys.[4]
Behavior
Movement
The olivaceous thornbill is resident throughout its range.[4]
Feeding
The olivaceous thornbill feeds on both nectar and insects. Details of its diet are lacking but there is some evidence that insects predominate. It forages near the ground and has even been observed walking on matted grass. It captures small insects by sallying from the ground or by gleaning from low vegetation. Males defend feeding territories.[4]
Breeding
The olivaceous thornbill's breeding phenology is not well understood. Its breeding season appears to include January but its span is not known. It possibly nests in Polylepis/Gynoxys woods. As is typical of hummingbirds, the female alone incubates the clutch of two eggs.[4]
Vocalization
As of early 2022, Xeno-canto had only one recording of an olivaceous thornbill vocalization, described as "a 'tzit' call".[5] Cornell University's Macaulay Library had none.[4]
Status
The IUCN has assessed the olivaceous thornbill as being of Least Concern. It has a large range but its population size is unknown and believed to be decreasing.[6] It is described as rare to uncommon in different parts of its range. "Human activity has little short-term direct effect on Olivaceous Thornbill"[4]
References
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- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ HBW and BirdLife International (2020) Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world Version 5. Available at: http://datazone.birdlife.org/userfiles/file/Species/Taxonomy/HBW-BirdLife_Checklist_v5_Dec20.zip [.xls zipped 1 MB] retrieved 27 May 2021
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b c d e f g Schulenberg, T. S. and C. W. Sedgwick (2020). Olivaceous Thornbill (Chalcostigma olivaceum), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.olitho1.01 retrieved February 24, 2022
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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