Order
Caprimulgiformes
Family
Trochilidae
Genus
Tilmatura
 
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Version 1.0

This is a historic version of this account.  Current version

SPECIES

Sparkling-tailed Hummingbird Tilmatura dupontii

Marîa del Coro Arizmendi, Claudia I. Rodríguez-Flores, Carlos A. Soberanes-González, and Thomas S. Schulenberg
Version: 1.0 — Published July 5, 2013

Behavior

Introduction

There is little information on the behavior of Sparkling-tailed Hummingbird. Reportedly forages for nectar by trap-lining (Züchner 1999), and sallies for insects, with prolonged flights, from exposed perches (Howell and Webb 1995).

Sparkling-tailed Hummingbird forages from the understory to the canopy (Howell and Webb 1995). When foraging, this hummingbird cocks the tail, and has a slow, bee-like flight (Wetmore 1941, Howell and Webb 1995).

Territoriality

Very little information. Sparkling-tailed Hummingbird reportedly forages by trap-lining (Züchner 1999), and so presumably does not defend territories. There is no information on home range size.

Sexual Behavior

Little information. Sparkling-tailed Hummingbird presumably is polygynous, as are most if not all species of hummingbirds (Schuchmann 1999: 509).

Wetmore (1941) described an apparent courtship display: "The females rested on open twigs while the males poised in the air 5 or 6 inches [12.7-15.2 cm] distant, opening and closing the long fork in the tail, scissors fashion, while the light glistened from the blue throat".

Social and interspecific behavior

Sparkling-tailed Hummingbird usually is solitary, as is typical of hummingbirds in general.

Predation

No reported instances of predation on Sparkling-tailed Hummingbird?

Recommended Citation

Arizmendi, M. d. C., C. I. Rodríguez-Flores, C. A. Soberanes-González, and T. S. Schulenberg (2013). Sparkling-tailed Hummingbird (Tilmatura dupontii), version 1.0. In Neotropical Birds Online (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/nb.spthum1.01