Scaly-breasted Hummingbird Phaeochroa cuvierii Scientific name definitions

The Scaly-breasted Hummingbird is a fairly large, unadorned hummingbird that is often included within the genus Campylopterus, the sabre-wings, due to the presence of a flattened-shaft on the outer primaries. It is divided into six subspecies which occur patchily in the lowlands and foothills of the Caribbean slope from southeast Mexico to Panama on the Pacific Slope of Costa Rica and Panama and the coastal region of Northern Colombia. The species occupies a fairly large range of habitats such as dry forest, edges and clearings of gallery and humid forest, mangroves and other open habitats but avoids the interior of closed evergreen forest.

11·5–13 cm; male 10·1 g and female 8·6 g in maculicauda, male 9·3 g and female 7·9 g in nominate cuvierii. Mostly bronzy-green , with dull buffy borders on feathers of most of underparts imparting a scaly appearance ; belly greyish-buff; corners of tail dull white, set off by diagonal blackish band from rest of bronzy tail. Female has longer bill on average but otherwise smaller than male, and does not differ in colour. Young bird lacks the thickened shafts of the outer primaries and has prominent buffy fringes on the feathers of the crown, nape and uppertail-coverts. Basal half of lower mandible pinkish in most races, black in roberti; race saturatior largest and darkest, nominate smallest and palest; <em>berlepschi</em> has belly more rusty, white on lateral rectrices more extensive; in roberti these rectrices are entirely black except for white tips; <em>maculicauda</em> has somewhat greener throat and more extensive black on outer rectrices; furvescens has throat and upper breast slightly darker green, belly paler.

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Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Dry forest, edges and clearings of gallery forest and humid forest, mangrove, second growth and scrub, fencerows, gardens and other more or less open habitats; avoids interior of closed evergreen forest. In dry forest and mangrove occurs from understorey to mid-strata, and to tree tops along edges. Mainly in lowlands but locally to 1200 m in SW Costa Rica.

Basically sedentary, but with more or less pronounced local movements in response to changes in flowering.

Visits flowers of trees (Genipa, Hibiscus, Pelliciera, Inga, Erythrina), shrubs, terrestrial bromeliads (Bromelia) etc., for nectar , sometimes perching to probe large blooms; very aggressive, often territorial at rich feeding areas where dominant over smaller hummingbirds. Frequently flycatches from perches, also gleans foliage and bark of trees and shrubs for arthropods.

Song a loud, variable, continuous warble comprising phrases of 4–8 notes. Each phrase a mix of chips, sharp squeaks and short trills or sputters, without any apparent pattern. Presumed variant song is less complex, a repeated phrase of a few high-pitched notes. Calls include a repeated short burry “trrk”, wet “tlek”, and a more emphatic “chick”. Also a high-pitched descending trill during chases.

Mainly during rainy season, May–Dec (Guatemala), May–Jan (Costa Rica). Nest a well-built cup of plant down and spiderweb, sometimes with fungal rhizomorphs, heavily decorated on outside with moss and lichen and often with lichen in lining; typically saddled on horizontal branch of small tree 2–8 m above ground. During breeding season males often in loose leks of up to 8 in canopy of second growth or low mangrove, or at forest edge. Clutch size 2; incubation 17–19 days; fledging period 22–26 days (to 29 days in inclement weather conditions); fledglings fed for up to 39 days after leaving nest.

Not globally threatened. CITES II. Uncommon to locally common in most areas. Probably benefits from forest clearance in most areas, though some mangrove populations may be threatened by loss of habitat due to cutting of mangroves for shrimp culture, etc., especially in Central America. Occurs at Bonampak and Yaxchilán in N Chiapas (S Mexico), in Corcovado National Park and Carara Biological Reserve (Costa Rica), and on Atlantic side of Canal Area (Panama).