Chaetocercus heliodor

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 heliodor
Subspecies: C. h. cleavesi – C. h. heliodor

Synonyms: C. h. meridae – included in nominal.

Name

Chaetocercus heliodor (Bourcier, 1840)

Type locality: Santa Fé de Bogotá, Colombia.

Synonyms

Ornismya heliodor (protonym)
Acestrura heliodor (Bourcier, 1840)

References

Bourcier, J. 1840. Oiseau-Mouche nouveau. Revue Zoologique par la Société Cuviérienne 3: p. 275 BHLReference page.

Vernacular names
English: Gorgeted Woodstar
español: Colibrí de Heliodoro

The gorgeted woodstar (Chaetocercus heliodor) is a species of hummingbird in tribe Mellisugini of subfamily Trochilinae, the "bee hummingbirds". It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela.[4][5]
Taxonomy and systematics

The gorgeted woodstar and several other species in genus Chaetocercus were formerly placed in genus Acestrura but have been in their current position since the late 20th century. It has two subspecies, the nominate C. h. heliodor and C. h. cleavesi.[3][4]
Description

The gorgeted woodstar is 5.8 to 6.4 cm (2.3 to 2.5 in) long. It is the smallest woodstar, a group of species that collectively are among the world's smallest birds. Both sexes have a straight black bill. The nominate male is mostly dark metallic blue-green. It has a pinkish purple gorget that extends across the neck, a grayish line behind the eye, a grayish breast, and white spots on the flanks. The tail is forked, with very short central feathers and outer ones that are bare shafts. The nominate female's upperparts are bronzy green with a rufous rump. Its underparts are cinnamon-rufous and its rounded tail is cinnamon with a black bar near the end. Males of subspecies C. h. cleavesi are darker than the nominate, with a less purplish gorget and a shorter tail.[6]
Distribution and habitat

The nominate subspecies of gorgeted woodstar is found in the Andes from Venezuela's Mérida state south through Colombia into western Ecuador. C. h. cleavesi is found in the Andes of northeastern Ecuador between Sucumbíos and Morona-Santiago provinces. The species inhabits semi-open to open landscapes such as the edges of humid forest, coffee plantations, and areas with some trees and shrubs; it occasionally visits the lower parts of the páramo. In elevation it ranges between 1,200 and 3,000 m (3,900 and 9,800 ft).[6]
Behavior
Movement

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

The gorgeted woodstar forages for nectar 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. In addition to feeding on nectar, it captures small insects by hawking from a perch.[6]
Breeding

At least in parts of Colombia, the gorgeted woodstar's breeding season extends from April to October. It builds a cup nest of soft plant material with lichens, leaf pieces, and small twigs on the outside. The nest is attached with spiderweb to a vertical or horizontal branch. No other information is known about its breeding phenology.[6]

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

Songs and calls
Listen to gorgeted woodstar on xeno-canto
Vocalization

The gorgeted woodstar makes "a single dry 'chit', doubled 'chichit' or tripled 'chichichit'" calls while hovering or feeding.[6]
Status

The IUCN has assessed the gorgeted woodstar as being of Least Concern. It has a fairly large range, and though its population size is not known it is believed to be stable.[1] It is considered rare to locally common in various parts of its range but may be more common than thought because of its small size and inconspicuous behavior.[6]

References

BirdLife International (2016). "Chaetocercus heliodor". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22688268A93189882. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22688268A93189882.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). Gorgeted Woodstar (Chaetocercus heliodor), 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.gorwoo2.01 retrieved July 26, 2022

External links

Photo(called "Gorgetted"); Article sunbirdtours
Gorgeted Woodstar photo gallery VIREO

Further reading
Fjeldså, J.; Krabbe, N. (1990). Birds of the High Andes: A Manual to the Birds of the Temperate Zone of the Andes and Patagonia, South America. Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen. p. 297. ISBN 9788788757163. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
Ridgely, Robert S.; Greenfield, Paul J. (2001). The Birds of Ecuador: Status, Distribution, and Taxonomy. Vol. I. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. ISBN 978-0-8014-8722-4.