Illustration not included in supplement volume
Mr. Henry Whitely discovered the adult male of this Humming-bird in Peru, though we believe that a female bird was procured by Warszewicz during his travels in the Andes.
Its nearest ally is A. inornata, but it has a longer bill than that bird, and moreover has the throat spotted with green instead of being of a bright blue. Mr. Elliot considers that it can only be distinguished from that species by “ the green spots on the throat, which, however, are very small and indistinct.
Dr. Taczanowski states that Warszewicz obtained this species in Peru at an altitude of 9000 feet. Count von Berlepsch’s collection, according to the same author, contains a specimen from Huasampilla, in Southern Peru, procured at a similar elevation; and Mr. Whitely has published the following note:—
San Antonio, July 5th, 1871.—Shot in the open glade where the preceding specimens were obtained. I took them at first for females, but could not quite understand that females would fight with such fury as I saw these doing; so that, to satisfy my curiosity, I shot two of them, and, upon opening the bodies for the purpose of seeing contents of stomach, found to my surprise that both were males. Plumage on back green; throat and breast light brown, with green spots on throat; tail-feathers tipped with light brown; bill black; legs, toes, claws, and eye black.
The following is the original description published in the ‘Annals’ (l. c.):—
Crown and upper surface bronzy green, the feathers of the crown and upper tail-coverts greener than those of the back; over and behind the eye and curving downwards on the sides of the neck a somewhat conspicuous streak of buffy white; ear-coverts blackish brown; throat, chest, and centre of the abdomen buffy white, the feathers of the throat punctated with glittering green; flanks bronzy buff; under tail-coverts the same, but lighter; tail bronzy brown, all the feathers conspicuously tipped with fawn-colour; bill blackish brown, inclining to yellow beneath; legs and toes brown, the soles of the latter inclining to yellow; wings purplish brown.
Total length 3\(\frac{1}{2}\) inches, bill (\frac{11}{16}\), wing 2(\frac{1}{16}\), tail 1(\frac{5}{8}\).
[R. B. S.]
Featuring all 422 illustrated species from John Gould’s A Monograph of the Trochilidæ, or Family of Humming-Birds arranged by color.
Humming-Birds
