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Birds of Zihuatanejo

CLASS AVES

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Chordates (Phylum Chordata)

-Vertebrates (Subphylum Vertebrata)

-Birds (Class Aves)

-Nightjars, Swifts, Hummingbirds, and Allies (Order Caprimulgiformes)

-Hummingbirds (Family Trochilidae)

-Genus Cynanthus

-Turquoise-crowned Hummingbird (Cynanthus doubledayi)


The turquoise-crowned hummingbird or Doubleday's hummingbird (Cynanthus doubledayi) is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is endemic to Mexico. The turquoise-crowned hummingbird is found in the southern Mexican states of Guerrero, Oaxaca, and Chiapas. It inhabits a variety of landscapes including arid thorn, tropical deciduous, gallery, and secondary forests. It occasionally occurs in pine-oak woodlands and grassy slopes. In elevation it generally ranges from sea level to 2,200 m (7,200 ft) but occurs as high as 3,000 m (9,800 ft)

Turquoise-crowned

Cynanthus doubledayi

Diet

  • Primarily nectar from flowering trees, shrubs, vines, cacti, and other native plants.

  • Supplements its diet with small insects and spiders, which provide essential protein, particularly during the breeding season.

  • Feeds by hovering at flowers and occasionally catches tiny flying insects in mid-air.

Range

  • Endemic to western Mexico, occurring along the Pacific slope from southern Sonora south through Sinaloa, Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima, Michoacán, Guerrero, and western Oaxaca.

  • Common in the Zihuatanejo region, where it is a year-round resident.

  • Inhabits tropical dry forests, thorn scrub, woodland edges, second-growth, gardens, flowering shrubs, and semi-open habitats, generally from sea level to about 1,800 m.

Male / Female

  • Male: Brilliant metallic turquoise-blue crown, emerald-green upperparts, bright green throat and underparts, and a deeply forked blue-black tail.

  • Female: Green upperparts with pale grayish-white underparts, a much duller crown lacking the brilliant turquoise sheen, and white tips on the outer tail feathers.

  • The sexes are readily distinguished, with the male's vivid turquoise crown being the most obvious field mark.

Size

  • Length: 9–10 cm (3.5–4.0 in)

  • Wingspan: 11–13 cm (4.3–5.1 in)

  • Weight: 3–5 g

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