New Hummingbird Discovered

[callady]

New hummingbird discovered

10.11.2005
 

Add another feather to the cap of ornithologist Niels Krabbe, who recently discovered a rare hummingbird in the mountains of Colombia.

Like a modern-day, ornithological Indiana Jones, Krabbe frequently leaves the Zoological Museum in Copenhagen on expeditions to remote South American jungles to study vanishing bird species.

His latest find includes the dusky starfrontlet (coeligena orina), a type of hummingbird living in remote jungle districts of Colombia that had been a mystery to ornithologists for decades.

Only one other specimen of the bird had been captured over 50 years ago, but since it was a young bird, scientists were in doubt as to whether it was a unique species.

http://www.cphpost.dk/get/92068.html

[afdip]

1. it doesn't stand a chance against our defoliants in the war on drugs. . .

or one of those other wars.:sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm:

[HereSince1628]

2. Coffee plantations don't do montaine forest species any good either

[Bacchus39]

13. the FARC are the stewards of the Colombian forest

the humming bird's habitat is secure.

esta lloviendo sarcasmo.

[Uncle Joe]

46. Does anyone know how many drugs have been killed

in the "War On Drugs"? I have not heard the latest body count.:sarcasm:

[XemaSab]

56. If you smoke pot,

the drugs win.

Why do you hate America?

/sarcasm

[the observationist]

3. That's so awesome.

This is encouraging for all of us nature lovers. Thanks!

[murray hill farm]

4. Thanks for that story!

I love hummingbirds...and i love the new ones name..dusky starfrontlet...so nice. i can sit in my garden in georgia..and watch hummingbirds by the hour..they are so fascinating.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

5. I have the "dog fights" going on out on the front porch here in La

when it is "hummingbird season". They are SOME kind of fighters....

[Gormy Cuss]

29. We call that the Hummingbird Air Force show.

The swoops, instant directional changes, feints, and occasionally beak fights are something to behold aren't they?

We have the little guys in our yard at least 10 months out of the year -- mostly the resident Anna's and some times the migratory Rufous and Allen's varieties. The Rufous ones gang up on the Anna's birds.

We are convinced that it's just a matter of time before someone in our family gets impaled by one of these crazy birds.

[donco6]

51. I watch that all the time!

ZZZZZZzzzzzzzoooom - chatterchatterchattersqueak -

It's wild.

[Up2Late]

38. Hey! MexicoPat! How are you doing? I was wondering how you faired...

with Wilma hitting you Isla and all. :bounce: Are you still in Mexico or are you now displaced? Where in Georgia are you?

Did you ever post about your Hurricane Wilma experience? Their were a LOT of people here worried about you.:grouphug:

So, what's you current situation?

[clydefrand]

6. Thanks for this post. Always glad to learn about a new bird.

Another bird, nature lover.

[Behind the Aegis]

7. How very cool.

I wish they had a picture of it. Hummingbirds are such neat little critters!

[Up2Late]

8. SO! I have a "New Hummingbird" living in my neigborhood too...,

...but since I'm not a famous ornithologist, nobody at the...ah...you know...ah, Bird place will return my calls. :eyes:

But seriously, I love how this guy is taking credit for a bird that the locals probably knew about for a long time, and I do think I have a new variety of Hummingbird living in my neighborhood (in the summertime).

[IA_Seth]

26. I found a tribe of savages down the hall...

I went 'exploring' in my apartment building this morning and found a 'tribe of savages' living in an apartment down the hall. I claimed their land in the name of the US and plan on exploiting them for whatever I can later.

lol.

[pitohui]

27. where do you live?

if it's in southeast louisiana, i can guarantee i can put you in touch w. someone who will return your calls & make arrangements to band yr bird

if it's elsewhere in the usa, there is still a good chance i can suggest someone

do you have sheri williamson's book?

if you are in texas, you will need the mexico bird book as well

don't assume the locals knew anything abt it, my experience is that locals including natives do not even really see small birds on the species level, our rich heritage of warblers for example went pretty much unnoticed until the 1800s, natives seemed to just clump all the colorful little guys together

differentiating hummingbirds without modern optics would be even more challenging

[Up2Late]

32. I was only half serious, I have never actually tried to call them...

...because I doubt they would be interested.

I do think it should be investigated though, because in 4 years of feeding and observing them, I have yet to see any of my local Hummingbirds with the characteristic "Ruby" patch marking of a male Ruby Throated Humming bird.

I even took Digital Video in both 2003 and 2004 (I don't think I caught them on video in 2005), and none of them have the "Ruby" making. Their all just Green and white. I have even observed them doing their characteristic mating behavior, though it not well observed on the video.

Now some here will say, "So what...", but I seriously doubt that you can just mark this one down as bad luck, some of these birds must be males and this just seems odd to me.

As for where I live, I'm just North West of Atlanta, in Southern Cobb County, Georgia.

[pitohui]

34. sure they would be interested

unfortunately i do not know the hummingbirding community in georgia & maybe we are fortunate to have such a huge community of volunteers on the gulf coast but yr average hummingbird bander is eager to go anywhere there are birds are to band

here's a shortlist of hummingbird banderss:

http://www.rubythroat.org/BandersListMain0009.html

for georgia, they list one bander:

Terry Johnson - Forsyth - [email protected]

i would email terry abt who is the bander for your neighborhood, i notice the list of banders for louisiana (my state) is nowhere near being remotely complete, my nearest banders are not on the list

if you want to post yr video i can try to look at it

if you have a wild bird center near your house, call & ask if they know who yr bander is

most hummingbirds are females or immatures, fully mature males are the minority, if you have a very dominant female in yr yard then you might never or only rarely see the adult male, she tolerates him for only one purpose, tee hee

so if you have a nest on your property, you would only see the adult female and the immatures, which means this is the most likely reason you see only green and white birds and never a throat patch

however, even if the birds are ruby-throats, hummingbird banders are still VERY interested in weighing and banding them

some females return to a territory year after year, i believe nancy newfield has banded a female that returned to her yard for 9 years

so a very bossy female could explain your sightings because she is not going to tolerate the male sticking around after he has contributed his sperm

add more feeders, even the most territorial female can't defend them all

NEVER HESITATE TO CALL A HUMMINGBIRD BANDER, IT MAKES THEIR DAY EVEN IF IT'S A RUBY-THROAT

[Up2Late]

36. How do they catch a humming bird without hurting it?

That almost seems imposable. Not only because they're so fast, but because they are so tiny.

You're probably right about the territorial female, that's what a lot of her behavior looked like. I've seen as many as 3 bird at the same time, but I think I have at least 5 or 6 that return to my yard each year.

Regarding the video, I'll have to do some editing, most of the footage is of a Hummingbird feeder w/o any bird, then they dart in, feed, and dart away. I think they are gone for the year now.

Since it will take some time to edit, I'll put you on my "buddy list" so I can e-mail you when I finish.

[pitohui]

39. it's really neat how they do it

they have small cages that they put over the feeder, the opening in the cage makes it easy for the bird to fly in but then she can't get out

the cages are portable so they can go to different houses and gardens to band birds

at big events such as hummingbird migration festival in folsom, louisiana, two banders can trap hundreds of birds, weighing them, banding them, doing some measurements, and then letting them fly off

they have a tool that lets them clip the band on around the leg like a bracelet

if the bird is already banded, they just make a note of the code on the band

newly banded birds get a dab of water-soluble paint on the head so they won't keep picking up the same bird over and over if it returns to the trap


it's really neat to watch them in action, i'm be a little nervous handling something that tiny but they've got it down to a science

i look forward to hearing from you when you have some free time to edit yr video!

nancy newfield says that based on her studies for every hummingbird you see in your garden, there are 6 others you do not see, i guess the less dominant ones

[XemaSab]

47. I've also seen hummer banders in AZ

with nets that drop over the feeder, so the bander just lets it down when there is a hummer at the feeder.

They can be mist-netted, but taking them out is harrowing, both for the bird and the bander.

[TaleWgnDg]

9. PHOTOS! Let's see the photos! . . . n/t

[Straight Shooter]

10. Have you ever seen one of these? It's a favorite of mine.

The Hummingbird Moth. I never saw one until I moved to Oregon. They love sunflowers and honeysuckle at twilight.

[Up2Late]

14. We call those Sphinx Moths here in Georgia...

I've personally see two different Sphinx Moths here. One in flight, the other at rest. I also had a Luna Moth at my house for a few days too

Here are some links: <http://www.birds-n-garden.com/hummingbird_moths.html>

Moths of North America (USGS)
<http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/lepid/moths/mothsusa.htm>

Moths of Oregon
<http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/lepid/moths/or/toc.htm>

Not sure which one that is, most of the USGS pictures I've seen, don't look much like the Moths I've seen.

[Straight Shooter]

25. Sphinx moth. That's a great name.

Yes, this is the one I've seen. I've just never found a pic of it before.



They are fascinating. Not what you would call beautiful, except that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Thank you so very much for the links. I've been perusing them a bit, and have bookmarked them for later. I also feed birds in my yard, so there's even more info that I can use. What a wonderful addition to an otherwise dreary, cold Oregon day.

Again, thanks so much for the links!

[Up2Late]

41. Oh, I don't know, I think their are a lot of very beautiful moths, and...

...some very boring Butterflies too. Not many know but, their are a lot of dull brown butterflies, but most people think that the brown ones are moths.

Moths are often beautiful in a different way, their complexity and intricate wing designs. A lot of the moths I get here are not even pictured on the USGS Moth website.

I've seen several different moths that have what looks like thin metallic Gold strips that edge it's wings. I bet I've seen 50 to 100 different moths here, resting by the back porch light.

Look at these, I like these a lot:
<http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/lepid/moths/ga/711.htm>


<http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/lepid/moths/ga/1731.htm>


<http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/lepid/moths/ga/1927.htm>


<http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/lepid/moths/ga/730.htm>

I have a few pictures of a few odd moths I've photographed, if you're still interested. Let me know if you are.

[Straight Shooter]

49. Yes, in the eye of this beholder, extremely beautiful and exotic.

Just look at Hypercompe scribonia with the leopard-like spots, oh my gosh, isn't that stylin'. The top pic of Hyparpax aurora makes me think that someone long ago saw one of those and that's where they got the idea of a fairy godmother. :)

I'm going to PM you now. I would love to see those photos. Thanks!

[Up2Late]

58. Here's a link to some Moth photos I've photographed here in Georgia

This is my own, "work in progress" website.

<http://www.ihadadream.net/pages/4/index.htm>

NOTE: Most of the names under these photo are names I made up, mainly because I don't know what they are actually called, and most of them don't have "Common Names" anyway.


For instance, I call this one the Fulcrum Moth because it looks like some sort of Fighter Jet or futuristic Spaceship. BTW, this moth is only about 1 cm in lenght.



This a resting (not dead) Rustic Sphinx moth, compare this photo to the USGS version I posted above, and you will see how difficult it is to I.D. them, as compared to what you see in you backyard.

Click link above for larger versions of these and 4 more moth Photos I took.

[XemaSab]

48. That's what hornworms turn into

they're fun to hatch, and you can feed them corn flakes instead of your plants in captivity. But they need soil at the bottom of the tank to pupate in.

[bleedingheart]

22. I have tons of them in my garden during the summer..

they at first scared the shit out of me...I thought they were some sort of mutant bumblebee...hahahaha

[Up2Late]

33. Me too, I thought they were Giant bees because they have...

...those yellow markings on the lower part of their bodies.

This is one of the type I've seen:

<http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/lepid/moths/ga/1080.htm>

And I think this one, but I'm not absolutly sure on this one:

<http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/lepid/moths/ga/1081.htm>

[0007]

44. A lot of them in West Texas! n/t

[Straight Shooter]

11. And another for your viewing pleasure, the Green-Crowned Brilliant.

Costa Rica.

[Lexingtonian]

12. beautiful!

:-)

[csorman]

15. OMG, what a gorgeous bird

and a reason why we need to defend the Endagered Species Act, the provisions of which have been recently rolled back by this administration (surprise, surprise).

I have a beautiful blown glass hummingbird feeder - they really do work! Everyone should have one.

[burrowowl]

16. Can't wait for a picture!

[arikara]

17. I just love the little buggers

We have 2 species around in the summer. We go through nearly 50 lbs of sugar in a couple of months then they disappear as fast as they arrive.

The Rufous - these guys are a little smaller and a little more territorial. There's usually only one or 2 of them around and the dominant one will stand guard over the feeders at the front of the house. That lasts until the other bunch hatches and learns to fly then he gets driven to distraction by all the activity.



The Ruby Throated which take over as soon as the babies hatch and start flying. We have literally dozens of them zooming around. Every year I've had to catch at least one that has found its way into the porch or shed and release it. They even look bigger than they actually are, when you pick one up you can't feel the weight of it. But they do have a lot of intelligence in their little eyes!

[Skittles]

19. OMG they are so friggin COOL to observe

I set up three feeders at a farm and then watched as ONE little bully kept trying to have all three to himself - he kept chasing off the other hummers.

One time one got in the garage - a HUGE garage that holds cars and tractors - well, this is not good in summer in Texas - it took me and my boyfriend running around with brooms for a while to get him out of there :D

[Robeson]

18. I love great news like this. Thanks!!

[Larkspur]

20. I love hummingbirds.

I put feeders out for them from Spring til fall. This year we put one right in front of our living room window and they came to it. It was neat seeing them up close.

My cats didn't know what to make of them because the hummers can stay motionless in the air or dart away before the cat realizes they are there.

We mostly get the ruby throated in Connecticut, but my girlfriend saw a Rufous this year.

[lonestarnot]

21. I love these gentle little creatures. They are fascinating.

[semillama]

23. Gentle? not really!

Hummingbirds are one of the most aggresive types of birds out there. i've been dive bombed by ruby throats, because I was "pishing" at a warbler I was trying to coax out of a bush. They're very territorial.

[lonestarnot]

54. Gentle in comparison to bears.

[pitohui]

28. gentle, hell, they're more vicious than a pit bull

ounce for ounce, i'll put the "mean" in rufous hummingbird against any animal on the planet

they are just pure-dee bad-tempered

that, i'm afraid, is what makes them so fun to watch

other hummingbird species ain't any walk in the park on a may morning either

they're all abt the territory

[Gormy Cuss]

30. LOL

Rufous are just plain vicious and they work together like a street gang to intimidate other hummingbirds.

I must agree, it's a big part of the reason they're so much fun to watch.

[Retrograde]

31. they intimidate the blue jays

who have been known to dive=bomb cats. I sometimes get screeching matches between the hummers and the jays. I once had a hummingbird threaten me when I stood in front of a salvia it wanted.

Speaking of birds, I got strafed by a red-tailed hawk in pursuit of some little brown bird a few days ago. At noon in a fairly densely populated urban area. Both parties seemed too focused on their respective roles to pay any attention to the people around.

[callady]

35. Don't wear red

on a warm day in hummingbird territory you will be dive-bombed. that's not lore, that's law of the sweet jungle.

[pitohui]

40. i've done it on purpose to bring them close

don't advise doing it unless you're wearing safety or sun glasses! they'll come right up to you, maybe even tap you before they're satisfied the red is not a flower or feeder

[arikara]

42. LOL... that's for sure

When we first moved to our place and my husband who isn't a farm boy would ride around wearing his work pants with red suspenders on his tractor and the hummers would be following him around and dive bombing him. He was a nervous wreck over it. He came in the house one day all jittery and said "You don't think they'd drive a beak into a guy's head do you?"

I very nearly peed myself laughing and I still laugh when I think of it years later.

[Up2Late]

52. Someone posted the picture of it below, that beak looks like it could...

...pirce a mans scull.

Better tell you husband to leave the Red suspenders at home if you go to Columbia.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

45. They're like a new born kitten

They are vicious but so small it's cute.

I accidentally ran across the nest below while they were still using it. They were NOT cute in their attempts to remove me from their breeding spot. :D

[lonestarnot]

55. Ah bullshit.

[XemaSab]

57. I've seen them rolling around on the ground fighting

each other before.

If they were the size of robins, I'd be afraid to leave the house.

[Demoiselle]

24. The "DUSKY STARFRONTLET". What a great name! Sounds like....

...a '60's folksinger.

[barb162]

37. hummingbirds are the cutest little things!!

[bigworld]

43. Us vs the Freepers

I think it's wonderful that this kind of article can stay popular on this board and garner such response. Somehow I don't think the Freepers et al would really care.

[Straight Shooter]

53. That's a very astute observation. For your reward, Xantus' and Lucifer HB

The Xantus' is a Mexican hummingbird, normally found only in Baja California, but a nest was found in southern California (no chicks fledged). In November 1997 one bird was observed in British Columbia.



Lucifer hummingbird: Observed in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. Winters central Mexico.

edit: Credit to http://www.hummingbirds.net/index.html

[XemaSab]

50. Here it is!