From en.wikipedia.org:
[Species of hummingbird] [the hummingbird] [date=August 2022]
{{speciesbox | name = Snowcap | image = Snowcap (Microchera albocoronata).jpg
| image_caption = male | image2 = Female Snowcap Hummingbird.jpg |
image2_caption = female | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref =
<ref name=IUCN>[author=BirdLife International ] | status2 = CITES_A2 |
status2_system = CITES | status2_ref = [1] | genus = Microchera | species =
albocoronata | authority = (Lawrence, 1855) | range_map = | range_map_caption
= | subdivision_ranks = Subspecies | subdivision = {{specieslist |M. a.
albocoronata|(Lawrence, 1855) |M. a. parvirostris|(Lawrence, 1865)<ref
name=IOC12.2>[url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/new/bow/hummingbirds/ ] |
synonyms = }} }}
The SNOWCAP (_MICROCHERA ALBOCORONATA_) is a species of hummingbird in the
"emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Costa
Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama.<ref name=IOC12.2/><ref name=HBW2021>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
The snowcap has two subspecies, the nominate _M. a. albocoronata_ and _M.
a. parvirostris_.<ref name=IOC12.2/> The nominate was originally described as
_Mellisuga albo-coronata_ and the other as _Panychlora parvirostris_.<ref
name=SNOW-BOW>Kistler, E. and T. S. Schulenberg (2020). Snowcap
(_Microchera albocoronata_), 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.snowca1.01 retrieved August 28, 2022
left
** Description
The snowcap is [6.5] long and weighs about [2.7]. Both sexes of both
subspecies have a short black bill and black legs. Adult males of both
subspecies have the white forehead and crown that give this species its
English and scientific names. Males of the nominate subspecies have dark
purple upperparts with a purplish black nape and a reddish gloss on the back,
rump, and uppertail coverts. Their face and underparts are black with a
reddish purple gloss. Their central tail feathers are metallic bronze and the
rest have white bases and black ends. Males of _M. a. parvirostris_ differ
by having less white on the tail feathers and a brighter coppery purple gloss
to their upper- and underparts. Adult females of both subspecies have a
metallic green back with bronze uppertail coverts. Their underparts are pale
grayish white. Their central tail feathers are bronze and the outer ones
mostly black with white at the base and on the tips. Immature males are like
the adult female with the addition of a narrow white line above the eye and a
gradual change of the whitish underparts to purplish black.<ref
name=SNOW-BOW/>
** Distribution and habitat
Subspecies _M. a. parvirostris_ is the more northerly and widely distributed
of the two. It is found on the Caribbean slope of Central America from
southern Honduras through Nicaragua and Costa Rica and possibly into western
Panama; it also occurs locally on Costa Rica's Pacific slope. The nominate
_M. a. albocoronata_ is found on the Caribbean and Pacific slopes of western
Panama. The species inhabits humid lowland and montane forest, semi-open
woodlands, and secondary forest. It is more common at openings in the forest
and more open landscapes such as plantations than deep in the forest. In
Costa Rica it breeds mostly at elevations between [300] but locally as high as
[1000]. In Panama it is found between [600].<ref name=SNOW-BOW/>
** Behavior
*** Movement
In Costa Rica, snowcaps mostly descend to lower elevations after breeding but
a few individuals wander higher than their breeding zone to about [1400].<ref
name=SNOW-BOW/>
*** Feeding
Snowcaps forage for nectar at all heights of their habitat, from the
understory to the canopy. Males defend feeding territories from other
snowcaps but defer to larger hummingbirds. They typically take nectar from
small flowers of epiphytes, shrubs, vines, and trees. In addition to feeding
on nectar, snowcaps glean arthropods from foliage, and males take small
insects by hawking from a perch.<ref name=SNOW-BOW/>
*** Breeding
In Costa Rica snowcaps breed between January and May; their season elsewhere
has not been defined. Males court females at leks in loose groups of up to
six, singing from a perch and chasing other males. Females build a small cup
nest of tree fern scales and plant down bound with spiderweb, with some moss
and lichen on the outside. It is typically placed on a twig or dangling vine
between [1.7] above the ground. The clutch size is two eggs; the incubation
period and time to fledging are not known.<ref name=SNOW-BOW/>
[url=https://xeno-canto.org/species/Microchera-albocoronata ]
*** Vocalization
The male snowcap's song is "a soft, sputtering, warbling melody: _tsitsup
tsitsup tsitsup tsew ttttt-tsew or tsip-tsee tsippy tsippy tsippy tsip-tick
tsew_." One call is "a soft, high-pitched, dry _tsip_", and it makes "buzzy
notes and chatters in aggressive interactions".<ref name=SNOW-BOW/>
** Status
The IUCN has assessed the snowcap as being of Least Concern, though its
population size is not known and is believed to be decreasing. No immediate
threats have been identified by the IUCN.<ref name=IUCN/> In Costa Rica it is
locally common, but "severe deforestation threatens many parts of its
range".<ref name=SNOW-BOW/>
** References
[Reflist]
** Further reading
- _A guide to the birds of Costa Rica_ by Stiles and Skutch [0-8014-9600-4]
** External links
[snowcap]
- [Commons category-inline]
- [Microchera albocoronata]
[from=Q524681]
Category:Microchera Category:Birds of Nicaragua Category:Birds of Costa Rica
Category:Birds of Panama Category:Hummingbird species of Central America
Category:Birds described in 1855 Category:Taxa named by George Newbold
Lawrence