Puerto Rican emerald

The Puerto Rican emerald (Riccordia maugeaus), or zumbadorcito de Puerto Rico in Spanish, is an endemic hummingbird found only in the archipelago of Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rican emerald
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Apodiformes
Family: Trochilidae
Genus: Riccordia
Species:
R. maugaeus
Binomial name
Riccordia maugaeus
(Audebert & Vieillot, 1801)

The species displays sexual dimorphism with males and females differing in coloration. The male has iridescent green feathers on its body and a black tail while the female has a white breast and white out tail feathers. They measure 9-10 cm and weigh about 3 grams. The species is found mainly in mountainous regions of Puerto Rico but also occurs along the southwest coast of the main island. Puerto Rican emeralds are highly territorial, often defending territories with intense aerial pursuits.

Puerto Rican emeralds use their long pointed bills and long tubular tongues to probe for insects, spiders and nectar, being especially attracted to red flowers. They can breed year-round but breeding is concentrated before the wet season starts from February to May. The female lays two tiny white eggs (measuring 8–13 mm) in a nest cup made of grasses and twigs. The male plays no part in the nesting process.

This species was formerly placed in the genus Chlorostilbon. A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2014 found that the genus Chlorostilbon was polyphyletic.[2] In the revised classification to create monophyletic genera the Puerto Rican emerald was moved to the resurrected genus Riccordia.[3][4]

See also

References
  1. BirdLife International (2012). "Chlorostilbon maugaeus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. McGuire, J.; Witt, C.; Remsen, J.V.; Corl, A.; Rabosky, D.; Altshuler, D.; Dudley, R. (2014). "Molecular phylogenetics and the diversification of hummingbirds". Current Biology. 24 (8): 910–916. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2014.03.016.
  3. Stiles, F.G.; Remsen, J.V. Jr.; Mcguire, J.A. (2017). "The generic classification of the Trochilini (Aves: Trochilidae): Reconciling taxonomy with phylogeny". Zootaxa. 4353 (3): 401–424. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4353.3.
  4. Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (July 2020). "Hummingbirds". IOC World Bird List Version 10.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
  • Oberle, Mark (2003). Las aves de Puerto Rico en fotografías (in Spanish). Editorial Humanitas. ISBN 0-9650104-2-2.
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