Main menu















Search
 Create account
 Log in
Personal tools



Toggle the table of contents




 Swallow-tailed hummingbird
27 languages
 Article
 Talk
 Read
 Edit
 View history

Tools

















From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Swallow-tailed humming bird

 Adult in Piraju, São Paulo, Brazil

Conservation status

Least Concern (IUCN 3.1) [1]

CITES Appendix II (CITES) [2]

Scientific classification

Domain: Eukaryota

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves

Clade: Strisores

Order: Apodiformes

Family: Trochilidae

Genus: Eupetomena

Species: E. macroura

Binomial name

Eupetomena macroura

(Gmelin, JF, 1788)

 Synonyms

Campylopterus
macrourus (Gmelin, 1788) (but see
text)
Trochilus macrourus Gmelin,
1788[3]

The swallow-tailed hummingbird (Eupetomena macroura) is a species in

the hummingbird family (Trochilidae), found mainly in east-central South America. Most
authorities place it in the genus Eupetomena, although some place it
in Campylopterus based on song and the thick shafts of the males' first primaries.
[3]
Its common name and specific epithet (which means "large-tailed") both refer to the
long, deeply forked, somewhat swallow-like tail.
Taxonomy[edit]
The swallow-tailed hummingbird was formally described in 1788 by the German
naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl
Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with all the other hummingbirds in
the genus Trochilus, coined the binomial name Trochilus macrourus and specified
the type locality as Jamaica.[4] Gmelin cited earlier authors including Hans Sloane who in
1725 had described and illustrated a humming bird from Jamaica and Mathurin Jacques
Brisson who in 1760, had described and illustrated a hummingbird from Cayenne,
French Guiana.[5][6] In 1929 Carl Eduard Hellmayr argued that Gmelin conflated two
different species and that his diagnosis applied to Brisson's specimen from Cayenne;
Sloane's Jamaican bird was probably the red-billed streamertail. Hellmayr therefore
redesignated the type locality as Cayenne.[7][8] The swallow-tailed hummingbird is now
placed together with the sombre hummingbird in the genus Eupetomena that was
introduced in 1853 by the English ornithologist John Gould.[9][10] The genus name
combines the Ancient Greek eu meaning "good" and petomenos meaning "always on
the wing" or "flying" (from petomai "to fly"). The specific epithet macroura is from the
Ancient Greek makros meaning "long" and -ouros meaning "-tailed".[11]
Five subspecies are recognised, the most recent was described in 1988.[10][12]

 E. m. macroura (Gmelin, JF, 1788) – the Guianas, north, central, southeast Brazil,
Paraguay and northeast Argentina
 E. m. simoni Hellmayr, 1929 – northeast Brazil
 E. m. cyanoviridis Grantsau, 1988 – southeast Brazil
 E. m. hirundo Gould, 1875 – east Peru
 E. m. boliviana Zimmer, JT, 1950 – northwest Bolivia
Description[edit]

Showing forked tail. Photographed in Piraju, São Paulo,

Brazil
With a total length of 15–17 cm (6–6+1⁄2 in), nearly half of which is made up by the tail,
and weighing up to 9 g (0.32 oz), this is a relatively large hummingbird. Indeed, in much
of its range it is the largest species of typical hummingbird. Its wings are also nearly
8 cm long – quite much for its size by hummingbird standards – though its bill is only of
mediocre length, with c. 21 mm (0.83 in) not longer in absolute terms than that of many
smaller relatives.
Its plumage is brilliant iridescent green, with a blue head, upper chest, tail and vent. The
tiny white spot behind the eye, common among hummingbirds, is often not visible in this
species, but the white ankle tufts, also common among the Trochilinae, are well-
developed. The remiges are blackish-brown. It has a slightly decurved medium-long
black bill. The sexes are very similar, but females are about one-fourth smaller and
slightly duller than males on average. Immature birds appear like females, but their
heads are particularly dull and brownish-tinged.[3]
The subspecies vary mainly in the hue of the plumage, with the blue sections ranging
from green-tinged blue over ultramarine to deep royal blue, and the green sections
ranging from golden bronzy-green over deep bottle-green to blue-tinged green.
The nominate subspecies and E. m. simoni occur over a wide range, while the others
are more localized endemics.[3] For E. m. hirundo the blue quite dull and the tail less
deeply forked. E. m. simoni is the bluest subspecies; the blue parts are dark royal blue,
the green parts blue-tinged. E. m. bolivianus is the greenest subspecies; the head is
more green than blue and the green parts pure bright green. E. m. cyanoviridis is
another very green subspecies with the blue parts green-tinged and the green parts
golden bronzy green.[3]
Its voice includes relatively loud psek notes and weaker twitters. A tik call is given when
excited or alarmed.
The swallow-tailed hummingbird is virtually unmistakable, although occasionally
confused with the male violet-capped woodnymph (Thalurania glaucopis). These have
only a blue cap however, the remainder of their head is the same green as the belly.
Distribution and habitat[edit]

Adult, from São Paulo Botanical Garden, Brazil

The majority of the range of the swallow-tailed hummingbird is in
the Caatinga and Cerrado of Brazil, and adjacent parts of northern and eastern Bolivia,
and far northern Paraguay. In the coastal regions, it occurs from French Guiana in north
to Santa Catarina, Brazil, in south.[13]
It generally avoids the rainforest found throughout most of the Amazon Basin, and only
extends locally into this region along the southern and eastern edge, in the relatively
open habitats along the lowermost sections of the Amazon River, including Marajó
Island, and upstream to around the Tapajós River, and in isolated enclaves of woodland
or savanna-like habitats within the Amazon (including so-called "Amazonian Caatinga")
in south-eastern Peru (upper Urubamba River and Pampas del Heath),
[14]
southern Suriname (Sipaliwini Savanna),[15] central Brazil, and northern Bolivia.
It occurs in virtually any semi-open habitat; even gardens and parks within major
cities[16] such as Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. It avoids the interior of humid forest, but
does occur in openings or along the edge; the swallow-tailed hummingbird is most
common among savanna-like vegetation. It is generally a species of lowlands, but
occurs locally up to 1,500 m (4,900 ft). Not a true migrant, some populations move north
or south a short distance in the dry winter months.[3]
Throughout the bulk of its range, it is among the commonest species of hummingbird,
although it generally is uncommon in the outlying regions, particularly where it becomes
more humid. In southern Brazil, it is apparently increasing and seems to have extended
its range in recent decades.[17] It is considered to be a Species of Least Concern by
the IUCN.[1] It was frequently exported for the cage bird trade up to 1970, but like other
hummingbirds,[3] it is nowadays on CITES Appendix II and trade is restricted. Also,
hummingbirds are generally hard to keep in captivity, and though this species is
generally rather hardy, it has been noted that abandoned young may die despite given
optimal treatment when trying to hand-raise them.[18]
Behaviour and ecology[edit]

Hovering adult photographed near Piraju, São Paulo,

Brazil
It is aggressive and will defend rich food sources from other nectarivores;[3] due to its
size, it is generally dominant over other species of hummingbirds. Even much larger
birds are attacked by diving at them when they perch; particularly when breeding the
swallow-tailed hummingbird will go and "dive-bomb" birds twice its own length or more,
such as Campo flickers (Colaptes campestris), curl-crested jays (Cyanocorax
cristatellus) or smooth-billed anis (Crotophaga ani), until they have enough and leave.
Disturbed by much larger birds such as Guira cuckoos (Guira guira) or hawks, it will
usually just give warning calls, but a female swallow-tailed hummingbird has been
observed to attack a Swainson's hawk (Buteo swainsonii) – weighing more than a
hundred times as much as the hummingbird – in mid-air. Warning calls are also given
at mammalian carnivores and humans, though in urban environment this hummingbird
may tolerate human observers for prolonged time, even when nesting, if they keep a
distance of 10 meters or so.[18]
In a study of a nest in urban São Paulo, it was noted that the swallow-tailed
hummingbird mother drove away ruddy ground doves (Columbina talpacoti) attempting
to nest nearby. Far more placid, cumbersome and meaty birds than the hummingbird,
these small doves often become prey to smaller carnivores, and by chasing away the
doves the hummingbird would have lowered attractiveness to its nest's surroundings to
such predators. Smaller mammals, such as the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus)
may occasionally plunder swallow-tailed hummingbird nests, despite the birds' attempts
to defend their offspring.[19]
At least in some situations, Philornis botfly larvae heavily infest nestling birds. It seems
that quite a considerable number of nestlings are even killed by these parasites.[18]
Food and feeding[edit]
The swallow-tailed hummingbird mainly forages at mid-levels, but good food sources
are exploited from anywhere near ground level right up to the tree tops. It chiefly feeds
on flower nectar, particularly from Fabaceae,
[20]
Gesneriaceae, Malvaceae (especially Bombacoideae and Malvoideae), Myrtaceae, R
ubiaceae and epiphytic Bromeliaceae. It is not a very specialized feeder however, and
has also been recorded from plants of other families, such
as Asteraceae[21] or Caryocaraceae.[22] It utilizes flowers of native as well as those of
some introduced ornamental plants.[23] It will also take insects caught by hawking. In
south-eastern Brazil where it is plentiful even in urban parks and gardens, it is
commonly attracted to hummingbird feeders.[3]
Breeding[edit]

On nest in Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil

Across its range, it can be found to engage in some behavior related to reproduction
almost year-round. In courtship, the male hovers in front of the sitting female and
chases her through the air, and the two may beform a 'zig-zag flight' together; the
former activity can be seen throughout the day except in the hottest hours around noon,
while courtship chases are most frequent at dusk.[24]
Birds have been seen carrying nesting material between July and September and in
December. The nest is a cup-shaped structure lined with soft plant fibres and clad on
the outside with lichen and mosses, held together with spider webs. It is placed on a
horizontal twig in smallish trees, e.g. Cochlospermum, typically below 3 m (10 ft), but
occasionally as high as 15 m (50 ft) above the ground. The clutch consist of two white
eggs and like in other hummingbirds. Only the female takes care of the eggs and young.
[25]

The chicks hatch after 15–16 days; they are initially hairless, save for some
grey down on the back, and have dark skin. They start to grow feathers 5 days or so
after hatching, starting with the remiges; the rectrices begin to emerge about 3 days
later. The young are fed 1-2 times per hour on average, and the female spends about
half of the day brooding and feeding her offspring, and the other half flying around and
feeding. The young fledge after 22–24 days but still return to the nest to sleep and be
brooded for some more days; they are independent some 2–3 weeks after fledging.
Two broods may be raised subsequently, sometimes reusing the nest; due to the
prolonged breeding season, three broods might be raised per year in theory, but this
does not seem to happen. The species first breeds at 1–2 years of age.[25]
References[edit]
 1. ^ Jump up to:a b BirdLife International (2016). "Eupetomena macroura". IUCN Red List of Threatened
Species. 2016: e.T22687094A93139282. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-
3.RLTS.T22687094A93139282.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
2. ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
3. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f g h i Schuchmann (1999)
4. ^ Gmelin, Johann Friedrich (1788). Systema naturae per regna tria naturae : secundum classes,
ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis (in Latin). Vol. 1, Part 1
(13th ed.). Lipsiae [Leipzig]: Georg. Emanuel. Beer. p. 487.
5. ^ Sloane, Hans (1725). A Voyage to the Islands Madera, Barbados, Nieves, S. Christophers and
Jamaica : with the natural history of the herbs and trees, four-footed beasts, fishes, birds, insects,
reptiles, &c. of the last of those islands. Vol. 2. London: Printed for the author. pp. 308–309.
6. ^ Brisson, Mathurin Jacques (1760). Ornithologie, ou, Méthode Contenant la Division des Oiseaux en
Ordres, Sections, Genres, Especes & leurs Variétés (in French and Latin). Vol. 3. Paris: Jean-
Baptiste Bauche. p. 726 No. 17, Plate 36 fig 9. The two stars (**) at the start of the section indicates
that Brisson based his description on the examination of a specimen.
7. ^ Hellmayr, Carl Eduard (1929). Catalogue of Birds of the Americas and the Adjacent Islands in Field
Museum of Natural History. Field Museum Natural History Publication 255. Zoological Series. Volume
12. Vol. Part 18: A Contribution to the Ornithology of Northeastern Brazil. p. 387.
8. ^ Peters, James Lee, ed. (1945). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 5. Cambridge,
Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 21.
9. ^ Gould, John (1853). A Monograph of the Trochilidae, or Family of Humming-Birds. Vol. 2. London:
self. Plate 42 and text (Part 6 Plate 1). The 5 volumes were issued in 25 parts between 1849 and
1861. Title pages of all volumes bear the date of 1861.
10. ^ Jump up to:a b Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (January
2022). "Hummingbirds". IOC World Bird List Version 12.1. International Ornithologists' Union.
Retrieved 14 July 2022.
11. ^ Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm.
pp. 152, 236. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
12. ^ Grantsau (1988)
13. ^ Schuchmann (1999), Straube et al. (2006)
14. ^ Schulenberg et al. (2007)
15. ^ Restall et al. (2006)
16. ^ Sigrist (2006)
17. ^ Straube et al. (2006)
18. ^ Jump up to:a b c Oniki & Willis (2000)
19. ^ Oniki & Willis (2000), de Lyra-Neves et al. (2007)
20. ^ E.g. Erythrina speciosa, on which they are opportunistic nectar thieves: Baza Mendonça & dos
Anjos (2005, 2006)
21. ^ E.g. Stifftia chrysantha: Baza Mendonça & dos Anjos (2005)
22. ^ E.g. Pequi, Caryocar brasiliense: Melo (2001)
23. ^ E.g. Fountain Tree, Spathodea campanulata (Bignoniaceae): Baza Mendonça & dos Anjos (2005)
24. ^ Schuchmann (1999), Oniki & Willis (2000), Sick (1993)
25. ^ Jump up to:a b Schuchmann (1999), Oniki & Willis (2000)

Sources[edit]
 Baza Mendonça, Luciana & dos Anjos, Luiz (2005): Beija-flores (Aves, Trochilidae) e seus recursos florais
em uma área urbana do Sul do Brasil [Hummingbirds (Aves, Trochilidae) and their flowers in an urban
area of southern Brazil]. Revista Brasileira de Zoologia 22(1): 51–59 [Portuguese with English
abstract]. doi:10.1590/S0101-81752005000100007 PDF fulltext
 Baza Mendonça, Luciana & dos Anjos, Luiz (2006): Feeding behavior of hummingbirds and perching birds
on Erythrina speciosa Andrews (Fabaceae) flowers in an urban area, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil
[Hummingbirds (Aves, Trochilidae) and their flowers in an urban area of southern Brazil]. Revista
Brasileira de Zoologia 23(1): 42–49 [English with Portuguese abstract]. doi:10.1590/S0101-
81752006000100002 PDF fulltext
  de Lyra-Neves, Rachel M.; Oliveira, Maria A.B.; Telino-Júnior, Wallace R. & dos Santos, Ednilza M.
(2007): Comportamentos interespecíficos entre Callithrix jacchus (Linnaeus) (Primates, Callitrichidae) e
algumas aves de Mata Atlântica, Pernambuco, Brasil [Interspecific behaviour between Callithrix
jacchus (Linnaeus) (Callitrichidae, Primates) and some birds of the Atlantic forest, Pernanbuco State,
Brazil]. Revista Brasileira de Zoologia 24(3): 709–716 [Portuguese with English abstract]. doi:10.1590/S0101-
81752007000300022 PDF fulltext.
 Grantsau, R. (1988): Beija-flores do Brasil ["Hummingbirds of Brazil"]. Expressão e Cultura, Rio de Janeiro
[In Portuguese]. p. 57.ISBN 85-208-0100-5
 Melo, C. (2001): Diurnal bird visiting of Caryocar brasiliense Camb. in Central Brazil. Revista Brasileira de
Biologia 61(2): 311–316. doi:10.1590/S0034-71082001000200014 PDF fulltext
 Oniki, Y. & Willis, E.O. (2000): Nesting behavior of the swallow-tailed hummingbird, Eupetomena
macroura (Trochilidae, Aves). Revista Brasileira de Biologia 60(4): 655-662 [English with Portuguese
abstract]. doi:10.1590/S0034-71082000000400016 PDF fulltext
 Restall, R.; Rodner, C. & Lentino, M. (2006): Birds of Northern South America. Christopher Helm,
London. ISBN 0-7136-7243-9 (vol. 1), ISBN 0-7136-7242-0 (vol. 2)
 Schuchmann, K.L. (1999). "Swallow-tailed hummingbird". In del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J.
(eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 5: Barn-owls to Hummingbirds. Barcelona, Spain: Lynx
Edicions. p. 554. ISBN 978-84-87334-25-2.
 Schulenberg, T.; Stotz, D.; Lane, D.; O'Neill, J. & Parker, T. III (2007): Birds of Peru. Christopher Helm,
London. ISBN 978-0-7136-8673-9
 Sick, Helmut (1993): Birds of Brazil - A Natural History. Princeton University Press, Princeton. ISBN 0-691-
08569-2
 Sigrist, T. (2006): Birds of Brazil - An Artistic View. ISBN 85-905074-1-6
 Straube, Fernando Costa; Urben-Filho, Alberto & Piacentini, Vítor de Queiroz (2006): O Beija-flor-
tesoura Eupetomena macroura (Gmelin, 1788) e sua ampliação de distribuição pelo Sul do Brasil ["The
Swallow-tailed Hummingbird and its distribution expansion in the south of Brazil"]. Atualidades
Ornitológicas 132 [In Portuguese]. PDF fulltext

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Eupetomena macroura.

 "Swallow-tailed Hummingbird" videos on the Internet Bird Collection

 Stamps[usurped] (for Brazil) with RangeMap
 "Swallow-tailed Hummingbird" photo gallery VIREO Photo-High Res
 Photo-High Res; Article tropicalbirding—Tropical Birding: "Southeast Brazil"
Taxon identifiers

petomena Wikidata: Q906894

croura Wikispecies: Eupetomena macroura

Avibase: BEB1ADD22A94A658

BirdLife: 22687094

BOLD: 745543

CoL: 3CLYN

BOW: swthum1

eBird: swthum1
 GBIF: 2476667

iNaturalist: 6065

IRMNG: 10217350

ITIS: 555069

IUCN: 22687094

NCBI: 153633

Neotropical: swthum1

Open Tree of Life: 414327

Species+: 10630

Xeno-canto: Eupetomena-macroura

Wikidata: Q109563574

chilus CoL: 8KQDR

crourus GBIF: 10962844

ITIS: 1149674
Categories:
 IUCN Red List least concern species
 Eupetomena
 Birds of the Caatinga
 Birds of the Cerrado
 Birds of the Pantanal
 Birds of Bolivia
 Birds of Brazil
 Hummingbird species of South America
 Birds described in 1788
 Taxa named by Johann Friedrich Gmelin
 Birds of the Amazon rainforest
 This page was last edited on 26 March 2024, at 23:26 (UTC).
 Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0; additional terms may apply. By
using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of
the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
 Privacy policy

 About Wikipedia

 Disclaimers

 Contact Wikipedia

 Code of Conduct

 Developers
 Statistics

 Cookie statement

 Mobile view