Красноголовый комет: описание и распространение.

Species of hummingbird

The red tailed comet (Sappho sparganurus) is a medium sized hummingbird belonging to tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae, the "coquettes". It is found in Argentina and Bolivia and possibly Chile and Peru. The type locality is Bolivia. Some early twentieth century authors placed it in genus Lesbia. The red tailed comet is now the only species in genus Sappho that was introduced in 1849 by the German naturalist Ludwig Reichenbach. The genus name refers to Sappho, an ancient Greek poet of Lesbos. The specific epithet sparganurus combines the Ancient Greek σπαργανόω/spargaō meaning 'to wrap' and ουρά/oura meaning 'tail'. The red tailed comet has two subspecies, the nominate S. s. sparganurus (Shaw, 1812) and S. s. sapho (Lesson, R, 1828).

Male red tailed comets are long including their tail. Females are long. The species weighs about Adult males of the nominate subspecies have a shining green head with a golden green or emerald green gorget. Their back and rump are reddish purple and their underparts mostly green with buffy undertail coverts. Their tail is long and deeply forked. Its upper surface looks reddish purple to green depending on the angle of the light striking it. The tail feathers have a wide velvety black to dusky purple tip. Adult females are overall duller than males and have a shorter tail. Their head and back are shining green and their rump reddish purple. Their throat and underparts are pale buff with small green speckles on the throat, breast, and upper belly. Their outer tail feathers have white or buffy white outer webs. Juveniles are similar to adult females but have dull bronzy green upperparts with a slightly coppery rump and more white on their outer tail feathers. Subspecies S. s. sapho is paler than the nominate and is golden orange where the nominate is reddish purple. Both sexes of both subspecies have a reddish brown iris, a black bill, and black legs and feet.

Sources do not agree on the red tailed comet's range. According to the South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society it is found only in Argentina and Brazil. Other taxonomic systems and authors add to its range Chile, possibly Peru but not Chile, or Peru and possibly Chile. The sources also differ in the distributions of the two subspecies. The nominate subspecies is variously placed in northern Bolivia and possibly extreme southern Peru

What is thought to be the red tailed comet's song is "a short, rapid, jumbled chatter". It also makes an "unmelodic tjrrrt" and "rather harsh tsha or zack notes, which may be monotonously repeated at more than 1 s intervals".

The IUCN has assessed the red tailed comet as being of Least Concern. It has a very large range, and though its population size is not known it is believed to be stable. No immediate threats have been identified. It is considered fairly common throughout its main range.