Shining sunbeam

The Shining sunbeam (Aglaeactis cupripennis) is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forest and subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland.

Shining sunbeam
Adult Shining sunbeam.

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Apodiformes
Family: Trochilidae
Genus: Aglaeactis
Species:
A. cupripennis
Binomial name
Aglaeactis cupripennis
Bourcier, 1843
Geographical range of A. cupripennis

Description
Showing glittering purple, green, and coppery on lower back and rump

Short straight bill, male metallic dusky brown above, dark on crown and ear-coverts. Area of glittering purple on lower back becoming coppery on rump and green on uppertail coverts. Face and underparts cinnamon-rufous. Tail bronzy olive, lateral feathers with rufous on inner webs. Female similar to male except lack most of glitter on back and rump.[2]

Habitat and distribution

The shinning sunbeam is indigenous to tropical regions, more specifically Ecuador, Peru, and Columbia; however, this species has different mating seasons in each of these countries. In Ecuador the mating season ranges from February to April, while in Columbia the season last from March to September, and in Peru the season only occurs biannually in November and April. [3] The fact that all three neighboring habitats all have the month of April in common suggest that the shinning sunbeam originated from the same location and later dispersed.

Behavior and ecology

Diet

Shining sunbeams are mainly nectarivorous, taking nectar from flowers of many genera of terrestrial flowers such as Embothrium, Puya, and Fuchsia[4]; however, they also seize insects and arthropods, usually in mid-air.

Breeding

Aglaeactis cupripennis typically breeds year-round depending on its location; in Colombia, they breed from March to September and February to April in Ecuador[4]. They lay two tiny, white eggs, which are incubated up to 18 days (only by the female), and fledge at around 27 days.

References
  1. BirdLife International (2012). "Aglaeactis cupripennis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. Ridgely, Robert and Paul Greenfield. The Birds of Ecuador. Volume II: Field Guide. Cornell, 2001
  3. Pavan, Lucas I.; Jankowski, Jill E.; Hazlehurst, Jenny A. (2020-02-14). "Patterns of territorial space use by Shining Sunbeams ( Aglaeactis cupripennis ), tropical montane hummingbirds". Journal of Field Ornithology: jofo.12321. doi:10.1111/jofo.12321. ISSN 0273-8570.
  4. Schuchmann, K.L. and P. F. D. Boesman (2020). Shining Sunbeam (Aglaeactis cupripennis), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D.A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.shisun1.01.
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