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Chaetocercus heliodor

Gorgeted Woodstar, adult male

Chaetocercus heliodor

Cladus: Eukaryota
Supergroup: Opisthokonta
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Classis: Aves
Subclassis: Carinatae
Infraclassis: Neornithes
Parvclassis: Neognathae
Ordo: Trochiliformes
Familia: Trochilidae
Subfamilia: Trochilinae
Genus: Chaetocercus
Species: Chaetocercus heliodor

Name

Chaetocercus heliodor (Bourcier, 1840)

Synonym

Acestrura heliodor

References

Rev.Zool. 3 p.275

Vernacular names
English: Gorgeted Woodstar

The Gorgeted Woodstar (Chaetocercus heliodor) is a species of hummingbird in the Trochilidae family. It is found in Colombia and Venezuela, also locality populations in Ecuador, and Panama. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests and heavily degraded former forest. This species favors forested areas highly but can be seen at flowering trees in gardens and in semi-open. The tail is frequently wagged while feeding.

This tiny bird is 7 cm (2.7 in) in total length, and this and the closely-related Short-tailed Woodstar and Little Woodstars are the smallest birds found in South America. The Gorgeted Woodstar is dark shining green above with a short white postocular stripe and white patch on the sides of the lower back extending to the lower flanks. The male's gorget is glittering pinkish violet and has elongated, pointed sides that hang around the throat. The white pectoral collar is less eviden than in other woodstars. The breast is grayish and the belly is blue-green. The tail is forked and fairly short, with a spiky, narrow appearance. The female is similar overall but lacks the gorget and brighter coloration. There is limited overlap in the wild with the Little Woodstar but the female of that species is superficially indistinguishable from this one.
References

* BirdLife International 2004. Chaetocercus heliodor. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 10 July 2007.
* "The Birds of Ecuador" by Robert S. Ridgely & Paul Greenfield. Cornell University Press (2001), ISBN 978-0801487224.

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