| Antillean crested hummingbird | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Male inMorne Diablotins National Park,Dominica | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Clade: | Strisores |
| Order: | Apodiformes |
| Family: | Trochilidae |
| Tribe: | Trochilini |
| Genus: | Orthorhyncus Lacépède, 1799 |
| Species: | O. cristatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Orthorhyncus cristatus | |
 | |
| Synonyms | |
Trochilus cristatusLinnaeus, 1758 | |
TheAntillean crested hummingbird (Orthorhyncus cristatus) is a species ofhummingbird in the familyTrochilidae. Its range extends from eastern Puerto Rico throughout theLesser Antilles ; it has also been recorded as a vagrant inFlorida, USA.[3]
In 1743 the English naturalistGeorge Edwards included an illustration and a description of the Antillean crested hummingbird in hisA Natural History of Uncommon Birds. He used the English name "The crested humming bird". Edwards based his hand-coloured etching on a specimen collected in the West Indies.[4] When in 1758 the Swedish naturalistCarl Linnaeus updated hisSystema Naturae for thetenth edition, he placed the Antillean crested hummingbird with the otherhummingbirds in thegenusTrochilus. Linnaeus included a brief description, coined thebinomial nameTrochilus cristatus and cited Edwards' work.[5] The Antillean crested hummingbird is now the only species placed in thegenusOrthorhyncus that was introduced in 1799 byBernard Germain de Lacépède.[6][7] Thetype locality is restricted to the island ofBarbados.[8] The genus name combines theAncient Greekorthos meaning "straight" and "rhunkhos" meaning "bill". The specific epithetcristatus isLatin meaning "crested" or "plumed".[9]
Foursubspecies are recognised:[7]
As the name implies, Antillean crested hummingbird is one of the few hummingbirds with a crest. It demonstrates the generalsexual dimorphism for hummingbirds where the male is bright and colorful whilst the female is more tannish and dull.[12] Males have a short straight black bill; head with green crest, tipped metallic green to bright blue-green, upperparts dull metallic bronze-green; underparts sooty black; tail black, rounded. The female bill is similar to male’s but its head is without a crest; the forehead, crown and upperparts are metallic bronzy-green; underparts light grey; tail blackish, rounded, four outerrectrices broadly tipped whitish grey.
The subspecies can be distinguished by the colour of their crests:exilis is wholly green or slightly tinged blue on tip;ornatus has the terminal portion abruptly blue;cristatus is golden to emerald, violet terminally;emigrans is similar to thenominate but more bluish violet, throat paler grey; the degree of paleness in underparts of female varies with race.[3]
Calls include short "tsip" or "tzip" notes and a longer series of "tslee-tslee-tslee-tslee".[3]
Its naturalhabitats aresubtropical or tropical moist lowland forest,semiarid forest and heavily degraded former forest such as open vegetation, parks, plantations, forest borders from sea-level to high mountains. Commonest below 500 m.[3][13] It lives asedentary lifestyle, with possible dispersal to higher altitudes in Jul/Aug. Subspeciesexilis is rare straggler to the United States.[3][14]
This species holds the first record of any avian species that became prey to anamblypygid, otherwise known as atailless whipscorpion; it is unclear though whether or not the amblypygid caught the bird as the animal was already observed deceased.[15] The Antillean crested hummingbird had also been observed attacking the nest of asaddled anoles (Anolis stratulus).[16] The antillean crested hummingbird and many othertrochilid hummingbirds display agonistic behavior towards not only other species of hummingbirds but also other noncompetitor bird species, reptiles and insects, which can have for effect to locally reduce biotic diversity and associatedecosystem services.[17]
The Antillean crested hummingbird breeds all year round, but mainly from March–June. Its nest is cup-shaped, built on thin branches of shrub or vine 1–3 m above ground, often shaded by leaves. The nest interior is lined with soft plant fibre and the outside decorated with pieces of dead leaves, lichens, moss or bark. Clutch size is of two white eggs, size 11·6 mm × 8–8·2 mm;[18] incubation is 17–19 days done by the female who will also persistently attack intruders;[19] chicks are a darkish grey with two dorsal rows of down;[20]fledging period is about 19–21 days; young remain with female for 3–4 weeks; singlebrood. They first begin to breed in their second year.
Its diet consists ofarthropods and nectar as flowering shrubs (Lantana,Euphorbia), vines and from lower parts of hedges and large flowering trees such as thecapparis tree;[19] others includeHibiscus,Bauhinia,Tabebuia,Delonix. Antillean Crested Hummingbird feed from near the ground and up to the canopy of tall trees but appear to prefer flowering plants of the understory.[19] Small arthropods may be collected from plant surfaces or hawked for in air.[3]
Not globally threatened (Least Concern). CITES II. Restricted-range species: present in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands EBA and Lesser Antilles EBA. Common resident. Particularly common at sea-level, with densities of at least 6–10 pairs/km2 onSt Lucia, at least 4 to 8 pairs/km2 onGuadeloupe, and at least 3 to 5 pairs/km2 onDominica. Widespread throughout Lesser Antilles, occurring at all altitudes and in all habitat types; ready occupation of man-made habitats suggests that habitat loss is unlikely to be a problem.[3]
