Copper-tailed Hummingbird

The copper-tailed hummingbird (''Saucerottia cupreicauda'') is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae.HBW and BirdLife International (2022) Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world. Version 7. Available at: http://datazone.birdlife.org/userfiles/file/Species/Taxonomy/HBW-BirdLife_Checklist_v7_Dec22.zip retrieved December 13, 2022 It is found in Brazil, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela, and as a vagrant in French Guiana.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. 30 January 2023. Species Lists of Birds for South American Countries and Territories. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCCountryLists.htm retrieved January 30, 2023

Taxonomy and systematics

The copper-tailed hummingbird was formerly placed in the genus '' Amazilia''. A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2014 found that the genus ''Amazilia'' was polyphyletic. In the revised classification to create monophyletic genera, the copper-tailed hummingbird was moved by most taxonomic systems to the resurrected genus '' Saucerottia''.Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2022. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2022. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/ retrieved November 10, 2022

The copper-tailed hummingbird's four subspecies were previously considered subspecies of the green-bellied hummingbird (''S. viridigaster''). By early 2023 most taxonomic systems had created the copper-tailed hummingbird (''S. cupreicauda'') containing four of them. However, the South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society does not recognize the copper-tailed hummingbird as a separate species.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 30 January 2023. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved January 30, 2023

The four subspecies are:

*''S. v. duidae'' Chapman, 1929
*''S. v. cupreicauda'' ( Salvin & Godman, 1884)
*''S. v. laireti'' ( Phelps, WH Jr & Aveledo, 1988)
*''S. v. pacaraimae'' Weller, 2000

Description

The copper-tailed hummingbird is long and weighs . Both sexes of all subspecies have a straight, medium length, blackish bill with a pink to reddish base to the mandible. Males of the nominate subspecies ''S. v. cupreicauda'' have crown, nape, and upper back of golden-green to bronze-green that goes through coppery green to the dark cinnamon rump and uppertail coverts. The inner four pairs of tail feathers are dark cinnamon with dark iridescent bronze-purple tips and the outermost pair cinnamon with reddish bronze to rufous tips. their forehead, face, chin, throat, and breast are emerald green, their lower belly and vent grayish brown, and their undertail coverts pale cinnamon. Nominate females are like the male with the addition of white bases to the chin feathers and bronze rather than rufous tips to the outermost tail feathers.Greeney, H. F., P. F. D. Boesman, and A.A. Weller (2022). Copper-tailed Hummingbird (''Saucerottia cupreicauda''), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (H. F. Greeney, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.gnbhum2.01 retrieved February 1, 2023

Subspecies ''S. v. duidae''s lower back and rump are more coppery than the nominate's and its tail is rich bronze, with no rufous or cinnamon. Subspecies ''S. v. laireti'' is similar to the nominate but is slightly darker green. Its uppertail coverts and tail are golden-bronze to copper. Subspecies ''S. v. pacaraimae'' is also darker than the nominate and its back has a stronger copper wash. Its rump and uppertail coverts have a purple sheen, and like ''laireti'' no rufous or cinnamon on the tail.

Distribution and habitat

The subspecies of green-bellied hummingbird are found thus:

*''S. v. duidae'', Cerro Duida in southern Venezuela
*''S. v. cupreicauda'', tepuis where southeastern Venezuela, western Guyana, and extreme northern Brazil meet
*''S. v. laireti'', tepuis of Sierra de Unturán and Cerro de la Neblina in southern Venezuela
*''S. v. pacaraimae'', Sierra de Pacaraima in southern Venezuela

The South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society includes Suriname in the range of ''S. v. cupreicauda'' and also notes its occurrence as a vagrant in French Guiana.

The copper-tailed hummingbird inhabits a variety of semi-open to open subtropical landscapes including the edges of gallery forest, plantations, scrub- and brushlands, river islands, and low secondary forest. It mostly occurs on the lower to middle slopes of the tepuis at elevations between . ''S. v. cupreicauda'' has been found as low as and ''S. v. duidae'' as low as .

Behavior

Movement

The copper-tailed hummingbird is basically sedentary, but the nominate subspecies is known to make erratic seasonal movements.

Feeding

The copper-tailied hummingbird's foraging strategy and details of its diet are not well documented. Though its nectar sources have not been studied, it has been photographed feeding at plants of many different families. In addition to necatar it feeds on small arthropods.

Breeding

The copper-tailed hummingbird's breeding season appaears to include at least January to May. The only fully described nest is of ''S. v. cupreicauda''. It was an open cup made of seed down with moss and lichen on the outside, on thin twigs of a small tree above the ground. The clutch size, incubation period, and time to fledging are not known.

Vocalization

The copper-tailed hummingbird's song has been variously described as " a short dainty phrase which is repeated several times...''tee-djee-tee-djee'' or ''tee-tee-djee-ti''". Calls include a "short buzzy note...''tzit..tzit..tzit...''" and a "stuttered series of a few short high-pitched notes ''tsi-tsi-tsi-tsi''" on the same pitch.

Status

The IUCN has assessed the copper-tailed hummingbird as being of Least Concern, though its population size is not known and is believed to be decreasing due to habitat destruction. No specific threats have been identified. It is "generally described as fairly common to uncommon, but most populations are fairly isolated." Most of the subspecies occur in at least one protected area. "Although no specific data have been published on the effects of anthropogenic habitat modification, the Copper-tailed Hummingbird appears to persist in fairly disturbed areas."

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q116620416

copper-tailed hummingbird
Hummingbird species of South America
Birds of the Guianas
Birds of the Tepuis
copper-tailed hummingbird
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot