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Literature cited: 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 | Literature cited: 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 | ||
==External Links== | ==External Links== | ||
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[[Category:Birds]] | [[Category:Birds]] | ||
Revision as of 21:22, 10 May 2007
- Calliphlox evelynae
Description
Size - 3.5" - 3.75" Bill length: male: 15-17mm - female: 15-18mm Tail length: male: 23-29mm - female: 23-27mm
Identification
The Bahama Woodstar (Calliphlox evelynae) is found throughout the Bahamas with no apparent seasonal movement.
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.
It is the only Hummingbird found regularly in the Turks and Caicos Islands where it is locally known as the "God Bird". It utilizes a habitat consisting of gardens, scrub, woodlands, forest edges and mixed pine forest. It takes nectar at a wide variety of flowers, including many common subtropical plants such as lantana, porterweed, pentas and century plant. 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. It's call consists of a sharp "tit"or "tit-it", often given in rapis series when excited. Song is a repeated dry "pri'titidee". The wings and tail make a "rustling" sound during the male's shuttle flight.
Literature cited: 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
