Eupetomena Cirrochloris

The sombre hummingbird (''Eupetomena cirrochloris'') is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is endemic to 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

The sombre hummingbird was formerly placed in the genus ''Aphantochroa'' which was itself sometimes merged into '' Campylopterus''. Based primarily on a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2014, ''Aphantochroa'' was merged by most taxonomic systems into ''Eupetomena''.Clements, 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 However, BirdLife International's ''Handbook of the Birds of the World'' retains it in ''Aphantochroa''.

The sombre hummingbird is monotypic.

Description

The sombre hummingbird is about long and weighs about . The sexes are essentially the same though the female is slightly smaller than the male. They have a slightly decurved black bill. Their upperparts are bronzy green to blackish bronzy green with a coppery sheen to the uppertail coverts. Their underparts are dull gray with a few dull green spots on the throat. Their tail is square; its central feathers are shiny green and the rest black with a bronzy gloss.Züchner, T. and G. M. Kirwan (2021). Sombre Hummingbird (''Eupetomena cirrochloris''), version 1.1. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.somhum1.01.1 retrieved September 4, 2022

Distribution and habitat

The sombre hummingbird is found in eastern Brazil from Pernambuco south into Rio Grande do Sul and west as far as Mato Grosso. It inhabits the edges and understory of humid primary and secondary forest, plantations, and gardens. The core of its habitat is the
Atlantic Forest but it also occurs in the transition zone between cerrado and caatinga biomes.

Behavior

Movement

The sombre hummingbird is a year-round resident throughout its range.

Feeding

The sombre hummingbird forages for nectar at a variety of flowering plants including introduced ''Eucalyptus''. It does so from the understory to as high as above the ground. It is highly territorial and spends half its time aggressively defending flower patches from hummingbirds of its own and other species. In addition to nectar it feeds on arthropods captured by hawking from a perch.

Breeding

The sombre hummingbird's breeding season extends from November to March. It builds a cup nest of soft plant material with large lichen pieces on the outside. It typically places it like a saddle on a horizontal branch. The female incubates the clutch of two eggs for 15 to 16 days and fledging occurs about 28 days after hatch.

Vocalization

The somber hummingbird's song is "a high-pitched 'tchui-ui', often repeated and sometimes doubled". It is typically sung at dawn and often during agonistic encounters. It gives at least six distinct calls described as "chirp", "guttural", "vibrato", "whistle", "crack", and "high-pitch".

Status

The IUCN has assessed the sombre hummingbird as being of Least Concern. It has a large range, but its population size is unknown and believed to be decreasing. No immediate threats have been identified. Except in the far south of its range it is considered locally common to common and it occurs in several protected areas.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q31774

sombre hummingbird
Birds of the Atlantic Forest
Birds of Brazil
Endemic birds of Brazil
Hummingbird species of South America
sombre hummingbird
Taxa named by Louis Pierre Vieillot
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN