Lampornis clemenciae

Geographic Range

The blue-throated hummingbird breeds mostly in the mountains of southern Arizona, extending into New Mexico, western Texas, and continuing south through the mountains of Mexico. Their Mexican range follows the highlands and central plateau as far south as Oaxaca. Rare sightings have been recorded in California, Colorado, northeastern New Mexico, Eastern Texas and Louisiana.

(Johnsgard, 1983)

• Biogeographic Regions
• nearctic nearctic
  • native native
• neotropical neotropical
  • native native

Habitat

The blue-throated hummingbird is usually found near water. Prefers pine-oak forests, but will feed in open areas. They inhabit slightly higher elevations of the mountains within its described range, coming down to the lower elavations during the winter months. Average elevation ranges from 1800 to 3300 m.

(Howell, 2002; Johnsgard, 1983)

• Habitat Regions
• temperate temperate
• tropical tropical
• terrestrial terrestrial

• Terrestrial Biomes
• forest forest
• scrub forest scrub forest
• mountains mountains

• Other Habitat Features
• riparian riparian

Physical Description

Blue-throated hummingbirds are among the largest of hummingbirds. They have a relatively short bill and a large broad tail with the outer most retrices edged in white. Males have a green dusky auricular mask. The brilliant blue throat is unmistakable in adult males, but is not aslways easily seen; it usually appears a soft gray color. The upper body is a bronzy green to golden green with a bronzier rump and darker green to blackish upper tail somethimes washed with a tinge of blue. The underside is a uniform light gray. The wings are a darker gray with some green mottling towards the top. Immature males resemble the adult male, but lack the full blue throat. Adult and immature females are very simalar to males, but do not show any blue coloration in the throat at all. Typical of the species regardless of sex or age is the double white facial stripes; an easy field mark to see regardless of light conditions.

Wingspans are typically 68.5 mm for females and 79 mm for males.

(Johnsgard, 1983; Howell, 2002)

• Other Physical Features
• endothermic endothermic
• bilateral symmetry bilateral symmetry

Reproduction

The female is the whole works behind reproduction in blue-throated hummingbirds. She chooses the nest site and builds the nest. Females also incubate the eggs and feed the young. Blue-throated hummingbirds have a unique nesting preference among other North American hummingbirds. The female will often seek for a covered area to nest under, such as a rock canyon wall, rock overhangs and under human structures as in under roofs.

(Johnsgard, 1983)

• Key Reproductive Features
• iteroparous iteroparous
• seasonal breeding seasonal breeding
• gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
• sexual sexual
• oviparous oviparous

Parental care is the sole responsibility of the female. The male goes to higher elavations after mating is over.

• Parental Investment
• altricial altricial
• female parental care female parental care

Lifespan/Longevity

There is little known about the average lifespan of adult birds apart from anecdotal reports of long-lived birds. A female had nested in the same nest for 10 recorded years producing 3 broods each year. On that tenth year the nest measured 127 mm high and 63 mm wide with an estimated 24,000 kilometers of spider and insect thread. When her nest was removed, she proceeded to build another nest within a month and produced 2 more eggs. A male has been recorded living for 12 years.

(Johnsgard, 1983)

Behavior

Blue-throated hummingbirds are not easy to see, although they are quite vocal. Often they will feed and perch at low to mid-levels of its environment or will tuck themselves inside flower banks and feed under cover. Individuals that are accustomed to feeders may be seen perched on fences or wires.

(Howell, 2002)

• Key Behaviors
• flies
• motile motile

Communication and Perception

• Perception Channels
• visual visual
• tactile tactile
• acoustic acoustic
• chemical chemical

Food Habits

Blue-throated hummingbirds feed on nectar and small arthropods. They search around the flowers and leaves of plants for various insects, spiders, and plant lice. Upon inspection of 3 stomachs of blue-throated hummingbirds different types of insects were found such as small beetles, spiders, fles, and wasps. During peak blooming of certain species of flowers and shrubs they will actively search for nectar. Such nectar sources may include and not be limited to various Salvia species, Penstemon , Lobelia laxiflora and Nicotiana . Blue-throated hummingbirds also frequent honeysuckle, gilia, and agave to feed on the insects attracted to the flowers. This heavy diet of insects allows them to survive and thrive in areas where more nectar dependant species can not, thus resulting in larger territories and higher success in brood production.

(Johnsgard, 1983)

• Primary Diet
• omnivore omnivore

• Animal Foods
• insects
• terrestrial non-insect arthropods

• Plant Foods
• nectar

Predation

Hummingbirds in general have adapted several ways to avoid predation. To avoid predators while nesting, females will use mosses and lichens from the tree they are nesting in to make the nest virtually disappear. Hummingbirds are among the smallest of birds but they attack like no other. Hummingbirds have been known to attack hawks in defense of their nests and young. Even humans are not exempt from these attacks.

Ecosystem Roles

The major role of blue-throated hummingbirds is pollination of flowers and shrubs.

• Ecosystem Impact
• pollinates

Economic Importance for Humans: Positive

Ecotourism is the most positive econonomic benefit blue-throated hummingbirds can provide for humans. Arizona is the hummingbird capital of the U.S.

• Positive Impacts
• ecotourism ecotourism

Conservation Status

Hummingbirds in general are declining mostly due to habitat loss. Several species are being affected mostly due to loss of wintering grounds.

Other Comments

Blue-throated hummingbirds have the slowest wingbeats of the North American species. There is a visual and audible difference between the blue-throated and the much faster beats of the Magnificent Hummingbird Eugenes fulgens .

Lampornis clemenciae is broken down into three subspecies. L. clemenciae bessophilus , which inhabits the southwestern United States, is slightly duller above and paler below. L. clemenciae clemenciae , found in central Mexico, and L. clemenciae phasmorus , found in Texas, differ from L.c. bessophilus by being slightly greener with a slightly shorter bill on average.

(Howell, 2002)

Additional Links

Encyclopedia of Life

Contributors

Patrick Burritt (author), University of Arizona, Jay Taylor (editor), University of Arizona.

References

Howell, S. 2002. Hummingbirds of North America, The Photographic Guide . San Diego, California: Academic Press.

Johnsgard, P. 1983. The Hummingbirds of North America . Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institute Press.

Sibley, D., C. Elphik, J. Dunning, Jr.. 2001. The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior . New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.

Sibley, D. 2000. The Sibley Guide to Birds . New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc..