Фиолетовая саблекрылка: описание и поведение

Species of hummingbird
the fictional supporting character from DuckTales

The violet sabrewing (Campylopterus hemileucurus) is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of the subfamily Trochilinae. It is found from Mexico to Panama.

The violet sabrewing has two subspecies, the nominate C. h. hemileucurus and C. h. mellitus. Males of subspecies C. h. mellitus have more green on their upper parts than the nominate and almost entirely violet underparts with no blue on the belly. Female's upper parts have a coppery tinge and their throat is violet.

The violet sabrewing is mostly sedentary, but individuals frequently move to lower elevations after the breeding season.

The violet sabrewing feeds on nectar primarily by trap lining, visiting a circuit of flowering plants. Males occasionally defend patches of flowers and are dominant over other hummingbirds. The species forages mostly in the understory, often on Heliconia, banana (Musa), Cephalism, and Palic urea though it visits others as well. It frequents nectar (sugar water) feeders and chases other hummingbirds from them. In addition to nectar, violet sabrewings also eat arthropods gleaned from foliage and spiderwebs.

The violet sabrewing breeds during the local rainy season, which ranges from June to September in Mexico and May to November in Costa Rica. In the latter country they may raise two broods. Males court females by singing in leks, typically in the understory or at the forest edge. The nest is a cup of moss cemented with spiderwebs and lined with fine fibers. In Costa Rica it is often built above a ravine or stream, on a horizontal branch above the ground. The female incubates the clutch of two eggs for 19 to 22 days and fledging occurs 22 to 24 days after hatch.

The violet sabrewing's song has been described as "cheep tsew cheep tik tik tsew cheep , high pitched, piercing and ventriloquial" and as "varied, loud, sharp chipping and warbles, often punctuated with fairly shrill, slightly explosive notes". Its calls are "high, sharp chippering", "prolonged, hard chipping", and "single sharp chips given in flight."

The IUCN has assessed the violet sabrewing as being of Least Concern. It has a very large range and a population of at least 50,000 mature individuals, though the latter is believed to be decreasing. No specific threats have been identified. "This species can tolerate habitat disturbance, however, as long as some forest cover or tall second growth persists."