Eupherusa cyanophrys

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

Familia: Trochilidae
Subfamilia: Trochilinae
Genus: Eupherusa
Species: Eupherusa cyanophrys
Name

Eupherusa cyanophrys Rowley & Orr, 1964

Holotype: AMNH 788920, adult ♂, 9 May 1963.
Type locality: 11 miles S of Juchatengo, elevation 4700 tf., Oaxaca, Mexico.

References

Rowley, J.S. & Orr, R.T. 1964. A new hummingbird from southern Mexico. Condor 66: 81-84. DOI: 10.2307/1365387 PDF Reference page.

Links

IUCN: Eupherusa cyanophrys (Endangered)

Vernacular names
català: Colibrí d'Oaxaca
Cymraeg: Sïedn Oaxaca
Deutsch: Blauscheitelkolibri
English: Blue-capped Hummingbird
español: Colibrí oaxaqueño
فارسی: مرغ مگس کلاه‌آبی
suomi: Turkoosilakkikolibri
français: Colibri d'Oaxaca
magyar: Kéksapkás kolibri
Nederlands: Oaxacakolibrie
svenska: oaxacakolibri

The Oaxaca hummingbird or blue-capped hummingbird (Eupherusa cyanophrys) is an endangered species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is endemic to the Mexican state of Oaxaca.[3][4]
Taxonomy and systematics

The Oaxaca hummingbird is monotypic.[3] At times some authors have treated it as a subspecies of the white-tailed hummingbird (E. poliocerca) and others have treated both of them as subspecies of the stripe-tailed hummingbird (E. eximia).[5]
Description

The Oaxaca hummingbird is 10 to 11 cm (3.9 to 4.3 in) long and weighs 4.1 to 5.4 g (0.14 to 0.19 oz). Both sexes have a straight black bill. Males have a violet-blue forehead, turquoise crown, and emerald green upperparts. Rufous secondaries show as a patch on the folded wing. Their central pair of tail feathers are green and the other four pairs whitish. Their underparts are glittering green with white undertail coverts. Females have green upperparts with a similar wing "patch" as the male's. Their central tail feathers are green and the others white with some dusky green. Their underparts are pale gray.[5]
Distribution and habitat

The Oaxaca hummingbird is found only on the Pacific slope of the Sierra Madre del Sur (also called Sierra de Miahuatlán) in southern Oaxaca. It inhabits the edges and interior of humid montane, semi-deciduous, and pine-oak forest. In elevation it ranges between 700 and 2,600 m (2,300 and 8,500 ft) and is most common below 1,800 m (5,900 ft).[5]
Behavior
Movement

The Oaxaca hummingbird's movements are not well known, but it might make seasonal elevational changes.[5]
Feeding

The Oaxaca hummingbird forages for nectar at all levels of the forest from the understory to the canopy. Its diet has not been described in detail but it is known to feed at flowers of Inga, Lobelia, Malvaviscus, and Psittacanthus and some others. It is also assumed to feed on small arthropods like other hummingbirds.[5]

Breeding

Little is known about the Oaxaca hummingbird's breeding phenology. Active nests have been found in May, October, and November. They were cups made of moss lined with plant down with lichen on the outside and placed between 1.2 and 5.4 m (4 and 20 ft) above the ground. The clutch size is two eggs; the incubation length and time to fledging are not known.[5]

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

Songs and calls
Listen to Oaxaca hummingbird on xeno-canto
Vocalization

The Oaxaca hummingbird's song is "a high, rapid, warbling" described as similar to that of the white-tailed hummingbird but "jerkier, less hurried". Its calls are not well known but also appear similar to the white-tailed's "liquid to slightly buzzy, rolled chip".[5][6]
Status

The IUCN originally assessed the Oaxaca hummingbird as Threatened but since 1994 has rated it Endangered. It has a very small range and its estimated population of 600 to 1700 mature individuals is believed to be decreasing. A large part of the forest in its range has been destroyed and much of the rest is being cleared for agriculture.[1] It is, however, considered fairly common to common where its habitat remains undisturbed.[5]
References

BirdLife International (2018). "Eupherusa cyanophrys". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T22687635A131123580. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22687635A131123580.en. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
"Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
Gill, F.; Donsker, D.; Rasmussen, P., eds. (August 2022). "Hummingbirds". IOC World Bird List. v 12.2. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
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
Arizmendi, M. d. C., C. I. Rodríguez-Flores, C. A. Soberanes-González, and T. S. Schulenberg (2020). Blue-capped Hummingbird (Eupherusa cyanophrys), 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.blchum2.01 retrieved September 2, 2022
Arizmendi, M. d. C., C. I. Rodríguez-Flores, C. A. Soberanes-González, and T. S. Schulenberg (2020). White-tailed Hummingbird (Eupherusa poliocerca), 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.whthum1.01 retrieved September 1, 2022