Escudo hummingbird

Escudo hummingbird
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Clade: Strisores
Order: Apodiformes
Family: Trochilidae
Genus: Amazilia
Species:
A. tzacatl
Subspecies:
A. t. handleyi
Trinomial name
Amazilia tzacatl handleyi
Wetmore, 1963
Synonyms

Amazilia handleyi Wetmore, 1963

The Escudo hummingbird (Amazilia tzacatl handleyi) is a hummingbird in the subfamily Trochilinae. It has previously been distinct species, but more recently it is generally treated as a subspecies of the rufous-tailed hummingbird, A. tzacatl.

It is endemic to Isla Escudo de Veraguas in Panama. Except for its larger size, it is similar to the rufous-tailed hummingbird. Its natural habitat is tropical moist shrubland and woodland. With a total range estimated at only 3 km2, it is potentially threatened by habitat loss or invasive species.

Taxonomy and systematics

The Escudo hummingbird was described as a separate species in 1963,[1] but its status has often been debated.[2] Currently, it is considered a subspecies of the larger A. tzacatl group.[3] Like many endemic taxa of Isla Escudo de Veraguas, it likely diverged from the mainland taxa somewhere around 9,000 years ago when post-glacial sea-level rise separated the island.[2]

Description

The Escudo hummingbird, like other subspecies within A. tzacatl, is a medium-sized hummingbird with green plumage, a pink beak, and a distinctive rufous tail.[3] Unlike mainland subspecies, however, the Escudo birds are notably larger and darker in overall color.[1]

Conservation

When it was still considered as a distinct species, it was classified as Vulnerable species by the IUCN, noting that any evidence of a declining population could lead to an uplisting to Critically Endangered status.[4] In 2008, it was removed from the IUCN Red List, however, as only taxa considered as full species can be listed.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b Wetmore, Alexander (1963). "Additions to records of birds known from the Republic of Panamá". Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections. 145 (6): 1–11.
  2. ^ a b Miller, Matthew J.; Lelevier, Michael J.; Bermingham, Eldredge; Klicka, John T.; Escalante, Patricia; Winker, Kevin (2011). "Phylogeography of the Rufous-tailed Hummingbird ( Amazilia tzacatl )". The Condor. 113 (4): 806–816. doi:10.1525/cond.2011.100226. ISSN 1938-5129.
  3. ^ a b Reich, Sarah K. (2020-03-04), Billerman, Shawn M.; Keeney, Brooke K.; Rodewald, Paul G.; Schulenberg, Thomas S. (eds.), "Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (Amazilia tzacatl)", Birds of the World, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, doi:10.2173/bow.rtlhum.01, retrieved 2024-04-12
  4. ^ BirdLife International (2004). "Amazilia handleyi" IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 10 July 2007.
  5. ^ BirdLife International (2008). 2008 IUCN Redlist status changes. Retrieved 23 May 2008.


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