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Pink-throated Brilliant Heliodoxa gularis Scientific name definitions

Thomas Züchner, Christopher J. Sharpe, and Peter F. D. Boesman
Version: 1.0 — Published March 4, 2020
Text last updated May 22, 2015

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Introduction

Listed as near threatened because of extensive deforestation in its range, the Pink-throated Brilliant population is considered to be declining. Fairly little is known regarding the behavior of these humid montane forest inhabitants. Both males and females have a pinkish throat patch, but it is more extensive on males. Both genders have bronzy green tails and white undertail coverts.

Field Identification

11–12 cm. Male has almost straight black bill; shining green upperparts with glittering green median stripe on fore­crown, postocular spot small, white; shining green below, throat with glittering pinkish-red patch, belly grey, undertail-coverts whitish; tail long, forked, bronzy-green. Female similar to male, throat patch smaller.

Systematics History

Formerly isolated in monospecific genus Agapeta. Probably closely related to H. branickii. Monotypic.

Subspecies

Monotypic.

Distribution

E Andean foothills of S Colombia (Cauca and Putumayo) and NE Ecuador (W Sucumbíos and W Napo); records from NE Peru (Loreto, Amazonas and N San Martín).

Habitat

Humid montane forest at 250–1050 m.

Movement

Presumably sedentary.

Diet and Foraging

Almost no food plants have been recorded apart from flowering Psittacanthus and other Loranthaceae; takes insects.

Sounds and Vocal Behavior

Presumed song is a repeated nasal “keuw”, at a rate of c. 1 note/second, also given as a single note in flight and while feeding.

Breeding

No data available, other than the observation of a fledged young  still attended by a female in E Ecuador in early Nov.

VULNERABLE. CITES II. Restricted-range species: present in Ecuador-Peru East Andes EBA. Very poorly known (1). Generally rare (2, 1, 3, 4). No population estimates. Forest habitat throughout range is under threat of destruction. Has lost more than a third of its habitat in Colombia, with a 7·6 % reduction between 2000 and 2010 (4). Based on a model of future deforestation in the Amazon basin (5), this species is expected to lose over 40% of suitable habitat within its distribution over three generations (12 years) (6). When analysed in combination with other factors, its population is projected to decline by 30% or more over this period; formerly considered Near Threatened, it was therefore uplisted to Vulnerable in 2012 BirdLife International (2015) Species factsheet: Heliodoxa gularis. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 22/05/2015. . Occurs within Cueva de los Guácharos (IUCN Cat. II; 90 km²), Alto Fragua Indi-Wasi (IUCN Cat. II; 680 km²) and Serranía de los Churumbelos (IUCN Cat. II; 972 km²) National Parks in Colombia; not protected in Ecuador (2). There is an urgent need to study its ecological requirements, particularly its ability to persist in degraded and fragmented habitats, and to obtain an accurate estimate of its population size and trends BirdLife International (2015) Species factsheet: Heliodoxa gularis. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 22/05/2015. .

Distribution of the Pink-throated Brilliant - Range Map
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Distribution of the Pink-throated Brilliant

Recommended Citation

Züchner, T., C. J. Sharpe, and P. F. D. Boesman (2020). Pink-throated Brilliant (Heliodoxa gularis), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.pitbri1.01
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