| White-necked jacobin | |
|---|---|
_male_Tr.jpg) | |
| MaleF. m. mellivora,Trinidad | |
 | |
| Female,Costa Rica | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Clade: | Strisores |
| Order: | Apodiformes |
| Family: | Trochilidae |
| Genus: | Florisuga |
| Species: | F. mellivora |
| Binomial name | |
| Florisuga mellivora | |
 | |
| Synonyms | |
Trochilus mellivorusLinnaeus, 1758 | |
Thewhite-necked jacobin (Florisuga mellivora) is a medium-sizedhummingbird that ranges fromMexico south throughCentral America and northern South America intoBrazil,Peru, andBolivia. It is also found inTrinidad and Tobago.[3][1] Its other common names includegreat jacobin andcollared hummingbird.[citation needed]
In 1743, English naturalistGeorge Edwards included a picture and a description of the white-necked jacobin in hisA Natural History of Uncommon Birds. He used the English name "white-belly'd huming bird". Edwards based his etching on a specimen owned by theDuke of Richmond that had been collected inSuriname.[4] When in 1758, Swedish naturalistCarl Linnaeus updated hisSystema Naturae for the10th edition, he placed the white-necked jacobin with the otherhummingbirds in thegenusTrochilus. Linnaeus included a brief description, coined thebinomial nameTrochilus mellivorus, and cited Edwards' work.[5] The specific epithet combines theLatinmel and-vorus, meaning "honey eating".[6] Thetype locality is Suriname.[7] The white-necked jacobin is now placed in thegenusFlorisuga that was introduced in 1850 byCharles Bonaparte.[8][3]
Twosubspecies are recognised:
The white-necked jacobin is 11 to 12 cm (4.3 to 4.7 in) long. Males weigh 7.4 to 9.0 g (0.26 to 0.32 oz) and females 6.0 to 9.2 g (0.21 to 0.32 oz). The male is unmistakable with its dark blue head and chest and white belly and tail; the tail feathers have black tips. A white band on the nape separates the blue head from the bright green back and long uppertailcoverts. Females are highly variable, and may resemble adult or immature males. Most females have green upperparts, a blue-green throat and breast with white "scales", a white belly, and a mostly green tail with a blue end. Immature males vary from female-like, but with more white in the tail, to male-like with more black there. Immature females also vary, but usually have less white in the tail and are somewhat bronzy on the throat and chest.[9]
The nominate subspecies of white-necked jacobin,F. m. mellivora, is found from southernVeracruz and northernOaxaca, Mexico, through southernBelize, northernGuatemala, easternHonduras andNicaragua, eastern and westernCosta Rica, andPanama into South America. In that continent, it is found in much ofColombia andEcuador, eastern Peru, northern Bolivia, most ofVenezuela,the Guianas, the northwestern half of Brazil, and the island ofTrinidad.F. m. flabellifera is found only on the island ofTobago.[3][9] The nominate has been recorded as a vagrant inArgentina and on the islands ofAruba andCuraçao.[10]
The white-necked jacobin inhabits the canopy and edges of humid forest and also semiopen landscapes such as tallsecondary forest,gallery forest, and coffee andcacao plantations. It is usually seen high in trees, but comes lower at edges and in clearings. In elevation, it usually ranges from sea level to about 900 m (3,000 ft), but rarely has also been seen as high as 1,500 m (4,900 ft).[9]
The white-necked jacobin's movement pattern is not well understood. It apparently moves seasonally as flower abundance changes, but details are lacking.[9]
It feeds on nectar at the flowers of tall trees,epiphytes, shrubs, andHeliconia plants. Several may feed in one tree and are aggressive to each other, but they are otherwise seldom territorial. Both sexeshawk small insects, mostly by hovering, darting, or sallying from perches.[9]
This species breeds in the dry to early wet seasons, which vary across their range. The nest is a shallow cup of plant down and cobweb placed on the upper surface of a leaf where another leaf provides a "roof". It is typically 1 to 3 m (3 to 10 ft) above ground and sometimes near a stream. Males display and chase in the canopy and along edges during the breeding season. Females use a fluttering flight to distract predators.[9]
| Songs and calls |
The white-necked jacobin is not highly vocal. Its song is "a long series of high-pitched, single notes, repeated at rate around 0.7–1.0 notes/second 'tseee....tseee....tseee....tseee....'." Calls include "a short 'tsik', a longer, high-pitched 'sweet', and a descending 'swee-swee-swee-swee' in antagonistic interactions."[9]
TheIUCN has assessed the white-necked jacobin as being of least concern. It has an extremely large range, but its population has not been quantified, and its trend is unknown.[1] It is deemed uncommon to common in most of its range. It occurs in many protected areas and appears able to use human-altered landscapes such as tree plantations.[9]
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Media related toFlorisuga mellivora at Wikimedia Commons
Data related toFlorisuga mellivora at Wikispecies
