Amazilia tzacatl

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Archosauromorpha
Cladus: Crurotarsi
Divisio: Archosauria
Cladus: Avemetatarsalia
Cladus: Ornithodira
Subtaxon: Dinosauromorpha
Cladus: Dinosauriformes
Cladus: Dracohors
Cladus: Dinosauria
Ordo: Saurischia
Cladus: Eusaurischia
Subordo: Theropoda
Cladus: Neotheropoda
Cladus: Averostra
Cladus: Tetanurae
Cladus: Avetheropoda
Cladus: Coelurosauria
Cladus: Tyrannoraptora
Cladus: Maniraptoromorpha
Cladus: Maniraptoriformes
Cladus: Maniraptora
Cladus: Pennaraptora
Cladus: Paraves
Cladus: Eumaniraptora
Cladus: Avialae
Infraclassis: Aves
Cladus: Euavialae
Cladus: Avebrevicauda
Cladus: Pygostylia
Cladus: Ornithothoraces
Cladus: Ornithuromorpha
Cladus: Carinatae
Parvclassis: Neornithes
Cohors: Neognathae
Cladus: Neoaves
Superordo: Caprimulgimorphae
Ordo: Apodiformes

Familia: Trochilidae
Subfamilia: Trochilinae
Genus: Amazilia
Species: Amazilia tzacatl
Subspecies: A. t. brehmi – A. t. fuscicaudata – A. t. handleyi – A. t. jucunda – A. t. tzacatl
Name

Amazilia tzacatl (de la Llave, 1833)

original combination: Trochilus tzacatl

References

Registro trimestre 2 no.5 p.48

Vernacular names
čeština: kolibřík rezavoocasý
dansk: Brunhalet Amazilie
Deutsch: Braunschwanzamazilie
English: Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
español: Amazilia de Cara Rufa
suomi: ruostepyrstökolibri
français: Ariane à ventre gris
magyar: Rozsdásfarkú amazília
italiano: Amazilia codarossiccia
日本語: ハイバラエメラルドハチドリ, haibaraemerarudohachidori
Nederlands: Roodstaartamazilia
norsk: Rusthalekolibri
polski: szmaragdzik brązowosterny
русский: Гобакская амазилия
slovenčina: kolibrík hrdzavochvostý
svenska: Roststjärtad kolibri
中文: 棕尾蜂鸟

The rufous-tailed hummingbird (Amazilia tzacatl) is a medium-sized hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found from east-central Mexico through Central America and Colombia into Ecuador and Venezuela.[3][4]
Contents

1 Taxonomy and systematics
2 Description
3 Distribution and habitat
4 Behavior
4.1 Feeding
4.2 Breeding
4.3 Vocalization
5 Status
6 Gallery
7 References
8 External links
9 Further reading

Taxonomy and systematics

The rufous-tailed hummingbird has these five recognized subspecies:[3]

A. t. tzacatl La Llave (1833)
A. t. handleyi Wetmore (1963)
A. t. fuscicaudata Fraser (1840)
A. t. brehmi Weller & Schuchmann (1999)
A. t. jucunda Heine (1863)

A. t. handleyi was originally described as a separate species, the Escudo hummingbird. At least one author treated the rufous-tailed hummingbird and the chestnut-bellied hummingbird (Saucerottia castaneiventris) as a superspecies; the latter was included in genus Amazilia at that time, but the two are now known to not be closely related. Some authors have doubted that A. t. fuscicaudata should be a separate subspecies.[5][6]
Description

The rufous-tailed hummingbird is 9 to 11 cm (3.5 to 4.3 in) long and weighs approximately 5 g (0.18 oz). The adult male of the nominate subspecies has a green head and upperparts except for chestnut-brown lores and uppertail coverts. The tail is also mostly chestnut-brown, giving the species its English name; the feathers' outer webs and tips are bronze green. The throat, upper breast, and sides are green; the throat feathers sometimes have thin white edges giving a scalloped effect. The lower breast is gray, the belly white, and the undertail coverts chestnut-brown. The adult female's lower breast is a paler gray than the male's and the scalloping on the throat is more pronounced. Juveniles have a cinnamon wash to the lower breast and sides and the feathers of the lower back and rump have narrow cinnamon tips. The outer half of the bill's maxilla is black and the inner half red; the mandible is red with a black tip.[6]

A. t. handleyi has the same color pattern as the nominate but is significantly larger and darker. A. t. fuscicaudata is smaller than the nominate and has a shorter and stouter bill. A. t. jucunda's maxilla is pinkish brown rather than black; its belly is a darker gray than the nominate's and the bronze green on the tail is narrower. A. t. brehmi is similar to jucunda and fuscicaudata but has longer wings and tail. It has a longer bill than fuscicaudata and reduced green on the tail like jucunda.[6]
Distribution and habitat

The subspecies of the rufous-tailed hummingbird are found thus:[3][6]

A. t. tzacatl, from the eastern Mexican states of Veracruz and Oaxaca south through Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica into most of Panama (It apparently skips El Salvador.)
A. t. handleyi, Isla Escudo de Veraguas off the Caribbean coast of northwestern Panama
A. t. fuscicaudata, the Cauca River and Magdalena River valleys of northern and western Colombia east into western Venezuela's Lara and Táchira states
A. t. brehmi, the upper Güiza River in Colombia's Nariño Department
A. t. jucunda, from Chocó Department in western Colombia south through western Ecuador to Loja Province

The South American Classification Committee (SACC) of the American Ornithological Society extends the range of A. t. jucunda into Peru.[7]

The rufous-tailed hummingbird inhabits open, non-forested, landscapes such as clearings, gardens, and the edges of forest. It is also found in low, young, brushy, secondary forest. It frequently comes to feeders. In elevation the rufous-tailed hummingbird ranges from sea level to 1,200 m (3,900 ft) in Mexico, to 1,850 m (6,100 ft) in Costa Rica, 1,800 m (5,900 ft) in Colombia, and 1,700 m (5,600 ft) in Venezuela. It is found as high as 2,500 m (8,200 ft) in Ecuador but that elevation is thought be local or seasonal.[6]
Behavior
Feeding

Like most hummingbirds, the rufous-tailed feeds on nectar and small insects. It is common at sugar water feeders and often seen in coffee and banana plantations. It is extremely territorial and aggressive at feeding sites such as flower patches and feeders, from which it chases other hummingbirds and large insects.[6]
Breeding

The rufous-tailed hummingbird is polygynous. Though it is aggressive while feeding, the species sometimes nests in loose colonies. Its breeding season varies widely across its range, but is within the February to November span. The female is entirely responsible for nest building, incubation of eggs, and care of nestlings. She lays two white eggs in a compact cup nest constructed from plant fibers, leaves, and spiderwebs covered with lichens and mosses. It is typically placed up to 6 m (20 ft) high on a thin horizontal twig. Incubation takes 15 to 19 days, and fledging another 18 to 22 days.[6]

Dickcissel male perched on a metal pole singing, with neck stretched and beak open.

Songs and calls
Listen to rufous-tailed hummingbird on xeno-canto
Vocalization

The rufous-tailed hummingbird's song is "varied, high, thin, squeaky chirping, tsi, tsi-tsi-tsit tsi-tsitsi tsi-si-si." Its calls are "a fairly hard, smacking tchik-tchik...or...tchi tchi..., at times repeated insistently" and "dry, hard chips often run into a rattling chirr-rr-rr-rr-rr".[6]
Status

The IUCN has assessed the rufous-tailed hummingbird as being of Least Concern. It has a very large range and a population estimated at more than five million mature individuals, though that number is thought to be decreasing.[1] The species might actually benefit from human activity, as deforestation provides open spaces. The species frequents coffee and banana plantations and readily comes to feeders.[6]

References

BirdLife International (2016). "Rufous-tailed Hummingbird Amazilia tzacatl". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T22730168A167102277. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T22730168A167102277.en. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
"Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
Gill, F.; Donsker, D.; Rasmussen, P. (July 2021). "IOC World Bird List (v 12.1)". doi:10.14344/IOC.ML.11.2. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
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 May 27, 2021
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 31 January 2022. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved February 1, 2022
Reich, S. K. (2020). Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (Amazilia tzacatl), 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.rtlhum.01 retrieved February 15, 2022

Plenge, Manuel A.; Schulenberg, Thomas S.; Valqui, Thomas (December 11, 2021). "Species lists of birds for South American countries and territories: Peru". South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society.

External links

Photo-Medium Res; Article chandra.as.utexas.edu–"Birds of Ecuador"
Rufous-tailed hummingbird photo gallery at VIREO (Drexel University)