- Doricha enicura
Identification
Male (with tail) 11-12.5 cm, female 8-9 cm.
Male
- Long, decurved black bill
- Green head and upperparts, white postocular spot
- Blackish chin
- Pinkish-purple gorget
- White band on lower breast
- Green belly with whitish centre
- Very long, forked tail with green central rectrices, rest of tail blackish
Female
- Green upperparts, withe postocular spot
- Cinnamon-buff underparts
- Blackish auricular stripe
- Shorter tail than male, less forked with green central rectrices, cinnamon outer rectrices and broad blackish band with white tips.
Immatures are similar to females.
Distribution
Found in the mountains and interior valleys of southern Mexico to Guatemala, Honduras and northern El Salvador.
A rare to locally common restricted-range species. Threatend due rapid conversion of habitat to agriculture.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species.
Habitat
Found in openings in forest, woodland, second growth and scrub. Occurs at 1000-3000 m.
Behaviour
Diet
Feeds on nectar and small arthropods. Forages often near the ground in lower levels of the forest.
Breeding
Breeding recorded in October in Chiapas. No other information.
Movements
A sedentary species.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2014. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.9., with updates to August 2014. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved December 2014)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Slender Sheartail. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 25 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Slender_Sheartail
