Southern giant hummingbird
| Southern giant hummingbird | |
|---|---|
| |
| Patagona gigas in Chile | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Clade: | Strisores |
| Order: | Apodiformes |
| Family: | Trochilidae |
| Genus: | Patagona |
| Species: | P. gigas
|
| Binomial name | |
| Patagona gigas (Vieillot, 1824)
| |
| |
The southern giant hummingbird (Patagona gigas) is one of two species in the genus Patagona and the second largest hummingbird species, after its close relative the northern giant hummingbird.
Taxonomy
[edit]In 2014, P. gigas was split into two species, the northern giant hummingbird (P. chaski) and the southern giant hummingbird (P. gigas). The subspecies P. g. peruviana became invalid as it was found to be a nomen dubium. This is because the putative type series for the subspecies includes both giant hummingbird species: one Southern and three Northern giant hummingbirds.[3]
Description
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The subspecies are visually distinguishable. P. g. peruviana is yellowish brown overall and has white on the chin and throat, where P. g. gigas is more olive green to brown and lacks white on the chin and throat.[4]
Distribution and habitat
[edit]
The giant hummingbird is widely distributed throughout the length of the Andes on both the east and west sides.[4] It typically inhabits the higher altitude scrubland and forests that line the slopes of the Andes during the summer and then retreats to similar, lower altitude habitats in winter months.[5][6] The species persists through a large altitude range, with specimens retrieved from sea level up to 4600 m.[4] They have shown to be fairly resilient to urbanisation and agricultural activities; however, the removal of vegetation limits their distribution in dense city areas and industrial zones.[7] The giant hummingbird migrates in summer to the temperate areas of South America, reaching as low as 44° S. Correspondingly, it migrates north to more tropical climates in winter (March–August), though not usually venturing higher than 28° S.[4][8]
'P. g. peruviana' occurs from Ecuador to the southeastern mountains of Peru and 'P. g. gigas' from northern Bolivia and Chile to Argentina. Contact between these previously accepted subspecies[3] is most likely to occur around the eastern slopes of the north Peruvian Andes.[4]
Cultural significance
[edit]The giant hummingbird holds significant value for some of the aboriginal inhabitants of the Andes. The people of Chiloé Island believe that if a woman captures a hummingbird then they will gain great fertility from it.[8] This species is a likely inspiration to the people of the Nazca culture who created the Nazca hummingbird geoglyph.[8]
Status
[edit]The range of the giant hummingbird is sizable, estimated at 1,200,000 km2, with total numbers of about 10,000 adults. The species is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as being of Least Concern.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b BirdLife International (2016). "Patagona gigas". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22687785A93168933. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22687785A93168933.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
- ^ a b Williamson, Jessie L.; Gyllenhaal, Ethan F.; Bauernfeind, Selina M.; Bautista, Emil; Baumann, Matthew J.; Gadek, Chauncey R.; Marra, Peter P.; Ricote, Natalia; Valqui, Thomas; Bozinovic, Francisco; Singh, Nadia D.; Witt, Christopher C. (2024-05-21). "Extreme elevational migration spurred cryptic speciation in giant hummingbirds". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 121 (21): e2313599121. Bibcode:2024PNAS..12113599W. doi:10.1073/pnas.2313599121. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 11126955. PMID 38739790.
- ^ a b c d e Osés, C. S. (2003). Taxonomy, phylogeny, and biogeography of the Andean hummingbird genera Coeligena Lesson, 1832; Pterophanes Gould, 1849; Ensifera Lesson 1843; and Patagona Gray, 1840 (Aves: Trochiliformes) (1st ed.). Bonn, Germany: Bonn University. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
- ^ Von Wehrden, H. (2008). "The giant hummingbird (Patagona gigas) in the mountains of central Argentina and a climatic envelope model for its distribution". Wilson Journal of Ornithology. 120 (3): 648–651. doi:10.1676/07-111.1.
- ^ Herzog, Sebastian K.; Rodrigo, Soria A.; Matthysen, Erik (2003). "Seasonal variation in avian community composition in a high-Andean Polylepis (Rosaceae) forest fragment". The Wilson Bulletin. 115 (4): 438–447. doi:10.1676/03-048. S2CID 85640049.
- ^ Villegas, Mariana; Garitano-Zavala, Álvaro (2010). "Bird community responses to different urban conditions in La Paz, Bolivia". Urban Ecosystems. 13 (3): 375–391. Bibcode:2010UrbEc..13..375V. doi:10.1007/s11252-010-0126-7.
- ^ a b c Ricardo, R. (2010). Multi-ethnic Bird Guide of the Subantarctic Forests of South America (2nd ed.). University of North Texas Press. pp. 171–173.
External links
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