Chaetocercus astreans

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
Cladus: 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: Avebrevicauda
Cladus: Pygostylia
Cladus: Ornithothoraces
Cladus: Ornithuromorpha
Cladus: Carinatae
Parvclassis: Neornithes
Cohors: Neognathae
Cladus: Neoaves
Superordo: Caprimulgimorphae
Ordo: Apodiformes

Familia: Trochilidae
Subfamilia: Trochilinae
Genus: Chaetocercus
Species: Chaetocercus astreans
Name

Chaetocercus astreans (Bangs, 1899)

Type locality: San Sebastian, 6600 ft, Santa Marta Mts., Colombia.

Synonymy

Acestrura astreans (protonym)
Acestrura heliodor astreans Bangs, 1899

References

Bangs, O. 1899. On a small collection of Birds from San Sebastian, Colombia. Proceedings of the New England Zoölogical Club 1: 75–80 BHL Reference page. p. 76

Vernacular names
English: Santa Marta Woodstar
español: Colibrí astral

The Santa Marta woodstar (Chaetocercus astreans) is a species of hummingbird in tribe Mellisugini of subfamily Trochilinae, the "bee hummingbirds". It is endemic to Colombia.[4][5]
Taxonomy and systematics

The Santa Marta woodstar and several other species in genus Chaetocercus were formerly placed in genus Acestrura. In addition, it was for a time treated as a subspecies of the gorgeted woodstar (C. heliodor). It has been in its current position since the late 20th century.[3] It is monotypic.[4]
Description

The Santa Marta woodstar is about 7 cm (2.8 in) long. Both sexes have a straight black bill. The male's head is shiny green and the rest of the upperparts dark shiny bluish. It has a reddish gorget that extends across the neck. The breast is gray and the belly bluish with a white spot on the flanks. The tail is forked, with very short central feathers and outer ones that are bare shafts. The female is bronzy green above and pale cinnamon-rufous below with a dark cheek patch and, like the male, a white spot on the flanks. Its rounded tail has green central feathers and the rest are cinnamon with a black bar near the end.[6]
Distribution and habitat

The Santa Marta woodstar is found only in the isolated Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta of northern Colombia. It inhabits the edges of montane forest, semi-open woodlands, and coffee plantations, and occasionally visits the lower parts of the páramo. In elevation it ranges between 825 and 2,000 m (2,700 and 6,600 ft).[6]
Behavior
Movement

The Santa Marta woodstar's movements, if any, are not known but seasonal elevational changes are thought likely.[6]
Feeding

The Santa Marta woodstar feeds on nectar and insects, though no details are known. It is assumed to have a foraging strategy and diet like those of its close relative the gorgeted woodstar. That species feeds from vegetation's middle strata to the canopy; one important source is the flowers of Inga trees. It does not defend feeding territories, and because of its small size and slow bumblebee-like flight is sometimes able to feed in the territories of other hummingbirds.[6]
Breeding

Nothing is known about the Santa Marta woodstar's breeding phenology.[6]

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

Songs and calls
Listen to Santa Marta woodstar on xeno-canto
Vocalization

The Santa Marta woodstar's vocalizations have seldom been recorded. What is possibly its song is "a regularly repeated, single, modulated squeaky note." It makes "a series of single liquid 'tsit' notes or a doubled 'ti-tsit'" calls while hovering or feeding.[6]
Status

The IUCN has assessed the Santa Marta woodstar as being of Least Concern. Though it has a limited range and its population size is unknown, the latter is believed to be stable.[1] It is considered locally common and readily accepts some human-altered landscapes like coffee plantations, though some of its natural habitat is under threat of deforestation.[6]
References

BirdLife International (2016). "Chaetocercus astreans". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22688274A93190060. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22688274A93190060.en. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
"Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
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 24 July 2022. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved July 24, 2022
Gill, F.; Donsker, D.; Rasmussen, P., eds. (January 2022). "Hummingbirds". IOC World Bird List. v 12.1. 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 27 May 2021
Züchner, T. and P. F. D. Boesman (2020). Santa Marta Woodstar (Chaetocercus astreans), version 1.0. 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.samwoo2.01 retrieved July 26, 2022