- Nesophlox evelynae
Calliphlox evelynae
Identification
Size - 3.5" - 3.75"
Bill length: male: 15-17mm - female: 15-18mm
Tail length: male: 23-29mm - female: 23-27mm
Males sport a shimmering purple to violet gorget, a rufous "vest" on the breast, green crown and back along with a deeply forked rufous tail edged in black.
Females show a duller green crown and back with a white breast sporting a rufous "vest", along with a slightly de-curved bill and rounded tail.
Young males resemble females but have the deeply forked tail and a few purple gorget feathers.
Distribution
The Bahama Woodstar is found throughout the Bahamas (except Great Inagua Island) with no apparent seasonal movement. It is the only Hummingbird found regularly in the Turks and Caicos Islands where it is locally known as the "God Bird".
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species.
Inagua Woodstar was formerly included in this species.
Habitat
It utilizes a habitat consisting of gardens, scrub, woodlands, forest edges and mixed pine forest.
Behaviour
Diet
It takes nectar at a wide variety of flowers, including many common subtropical plants such as lantana, porterweed, pentas and century plant.
Breeding
Males perform a bouncing shuttle display with tail and gorget extended, accelerating toward the end followed by a rush toward the female before darting away. The nest is a cup of soft plant down and spider silk, camouflaged with bits of bark and other plant parts. Nesting year round in the Bahamas.
Vocalisation
Call consists of a sharp "tit"or "tit-it", often given in rapid series when excited.
Song is a repeated dry "pri'titidee".
The wings and tail make a "rustling" sound during the male's shuttle flight.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Gill, F, D Donsker, and P Rasmussen (Eds). 2020. IOC World Bird List (v 10.2). Doi 10.14344/IOC.ML.10.2. http://www.worldbirdnames.org/
- Hummingbirds of North America, Sheri Wiliamson
- The Birds of the Turks and Caicos Islands, Richard Ground
- Birds of the West Indies, Herbert Raffaele, James Wiley, Orlando Garrido, Allan Keith, Janis Raffaele
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Bahama Woodstar. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 9 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Bahama_Woodstar
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.
