tiz-aves: [Species] | Violet-tailed sylphThe violet-tailed sylph (Aglaiocercus coelestis) is a highl

tiz-aves: [Species] | Violet-tailed sylphThe violet-tailed sylph (Aglaiocercus coelestis) is a highly sexually dimorphic species of South American hummingbird, that typically occurs at elevations above 900 and below 2000 metres. With the long tail included, males typically grow to be 18 to 20 centimetres long, while females only reach half that length with an average of slightly less than ten centimetres.It primarily feeds on nectar, which it takes from a wide variety of brightly coloured, scented small flowers growing of trees, herbs, shrubs and other. They seem to overall favour flowers with a high sugar content, which usually are red and tubular-shaped. These they not only actively seek out, but also viciously protect in areas where they are abundant..Violet-tailed sylphs, like many other hummingbirds also, are solitary in all aspects with the exception of breeding. They neither live nor migrate in flocks, and pairs don’t bond. Males court females by flying in a certain manner right in front of them. A male will separate from the female immediately after copulation, and may mate with a different female in the future.Since males do not play any role whatsoever in raising the chicks, female violet-tailed sylphs hold the entire responsibility for protecting and feeding their chicks. Since nectar is a rather insufficient protein source for the still-growing chicks, insects are usually more favoured during this period.As for many other hummingbirds also, the chicks are brooded for only the first week, or sometimes two, and left alone even on cooler night after only 12 days, The chicks leave the nest after reaching an age of about 20 days.Although these birds have an unknown population number, it is believed that it currently is either stable, or declining very slowly. Despite their restricted range of only 73,000 km², they are doing quite well as a whole, and are therefore classified as a species of least concern by the IUCN.Photo credits: Brian Hampson -- source link

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