The Long-billed Starthroat, Heliomaster longirostris, doesn't come often to feeders, so we were pleased when our excellent guide Mahas spotted this female atop a high shrub in the Aripo Savannah. The female has a green cap and a bit of iridescence in the gorget, whereas the male (not shown) has a blue cap and a purple/raspberry throat. Guess we'll have to go back some day and find the male! (sigh). Both have a white spot behind the eye and a white malar stripe.
The Long-billed Starthroat is a medium sized hummer, with a long bill and a rather slender build. They are scarce in Trinidad and not found on Tobago. The Trinidad Long-billed is the nominate race, i.e. H. l. longirostris, with a range from Costa Rica down to Brazil and Bolivia. There are only 3 Starthroats (Heliomaster genus), another example of how many of the hummingbird genera have a limited number of species.
No comments:
Post a Comment