Amazilia leucogaster cf. bahiae - Plain-bellied Emerald / Beija-Flor-De-Barriga-Branca (Hartert, 1899)

Aves: Apodiformes: Trochili (?): Trochilidae: Trochilinae

Length: 90 - 100mm
Weight: ♀ ~4,3g / ♂ ~4-4,5g

Location: Brazil, Ceará, Fortaleza (Lat: -3.745874372672555, Long: -38.50708292529396, Accuracy in meters: 6.171219637882207)
Date: 19th of September, 2018 at 06:49:36am.

Amazilia leucogaster cf. bahiae is a subspecies of hummingbirds in the class Aves, order Apodiformes, suborder Trochili (not sure if this suborder still exists or if they removed it), family Trochilidae and subfamily Trochilinae.

The genus name "Amazilia" comes from an Inca heroine of the novel "Les Incas, ou la Destruction de l'Empire du Pérou", while the species name comes from the Latin; "leukos" means "white" and "gaster" means "belly".

Distribution: https://www.wikiaves.com.br/mapaRegistros_beija-flor-de-barriga-branca

They are of Neotropical origin. Two subspecies are present:

Amazilia leucogaster leucogaster (Gmelin, 1788), which occurs in the Northeastern Venezuela until the Guyanas and North(eastern?) Brazil, East to Piauí.

Amazilia leucogaster bahiae (Hartert, 1899) occurs in Eastern Brazil from Eastern Pernambuco, South along the Coast of Brazil and recently expanded to Espírito Santo.

The species is small, measuring from 9 to 10cm in length and males weigh around 4 to 4,5g while females around 4,3g. The bill is black and straight but slightly decurves near the tip. Mandible's base pinkish with inferior parts white and spotless. Central rectrices are golden, with outer ones being dark blue with whitish tips. Postero-ocular spot is white. Dorso, crown and face are a brilliant green while the belly is white. Wings are dark with emerald-colored parts.

The nest is cup-shaped and the eggs are rounded, with two usually being laid at a time. The nest is made of plant wool and sometimes in Bromeliaceae.

They are commonly attracted to hummingbird feeders and are very territorialists with their feeding spots. This can cause stress between individuals and needless fights.

Habitats include marshlands, swamps and many other types of vegetation such as forest edges, second growths, Cerrado, moist lowland, subtropical/tropical high tide mangroves and heavily degraded former forest, Savanna, dry areas, etc. They are commonly found in anthropogenic habitats including urbanized and even metropolis.

Vocalization is made of long series of short "pseee" notes. Calls include a thin "tsink" according to HBW. You can also hear it here: http://www.oiseaux.net/birds/plain-belli...

Feeding habits include nectar from herbs and low shrubs. Hosts include Leguminosae, Vochysiaceae, Musaceae, Acanthaceae, etc.

Their conservation status is listed in IUCN 3.1 as "Least Concern", although the global population size has not been quantified. (http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/22687574/0)

Sources:

http://avibase.bsc-eoc.org/species.jsp?avibaseid=FB0419E0E3C75257

http://www.hbw.com/species/plain-bellied-emerald-agyrtria-leucogaster

http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/factsheet/22687574

http://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/plain-bellied-emerald-amazilia-leucogaster

http://eol.org/pages/1274020/overview

https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beija-flor-de-barriga-branca