Green-and-black Streamertail
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| Trochilus polytmus Linnaeus, 1758 |
The Green-and-black Streamertail, Red-billed Streamertail or Doctor Bird (Trochilus polytmus) is a long-tailed hummingbird.
They are the most abundant and widespread member of the hummingbird family on the island of Jamaica, where the streamertail is also the national bird. Incidentally, the bird known to scientists as Trochilus polytmus, is the name-bearer of the whole hummingbird family, the Trochilidae. Formerly believed to be conspecific with the Black-billed Streamertail of extreme eastern Jamaica, the latter is now considered a distinct species (Trochilus scitulus). Thus, T. polytmus occurs west of a line from Morant Bay following the Morant River, and via Ginger House and the middle Rio Grande to Port Antonio (Gill et al., 1973).
The next-to-outermost feather on each side of the male's tail is six or seven inches long, far longer than its bearer's back. Trailing behind the flying hummingbird like thin black streamers, these feathers make a humming sound.
These birds feed on nectar from flowers using a long extendable tongue or catch insects on the wing.
Because of their small size, they are vulnerable to predators that eat large insects. These birds require frequent feeding while active during the day and become torpid at night to conserve energy.
[edit] References
- BirdLife International (2004). Trochilus polytmus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
- Gill, Frank B.; Stokes, F. J. & Stokes, C. (1973): Contact Zones and Hybridization in the Jamaican Hummingbird, Trochilus polytmus (L.). Condor 75(2): 170-176. PDF fulltext
