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Fiery-tailed Awlbill - BirdForum Opus

Photo by Valéry Schollaert
Near Manaus, Brazil, December 2008
Avocettula recurvirostris

Identification

9.4cm, bill 1.8cm
A hummingbird with the distinctive feature of a bill upturned at the distal end.

Distribution

South America: found in Venezuela, The Guianas, and Brazil with an isolated population in Ecuador.

Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species[1], which is the only member of the genus Avocettula.

Some authorities place this species in genus Anthracothorax.

Habitat

Lower tropical zone to 250m, often to 500m. Edges of primary forest and adjacent savanna; along the lower foothills of tepuis (mesas or table-topped mountains), on the sides of granite outcrops and large boulders; forests along rivers.2

Behaviour

Forages alone, feeding by the trap-lining method from flowering bushes and trees, such as Clusia and Dioclea.2

References

  1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, B.L. Sullivan, C. L. Wood, and D. Roberson. 2013. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.8., with updates to August 2013. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
  2. Robin Restall et al, 2006. Birds of Northern South America, Vols 1. Yale University Press, Newhaven and London. ISBN: 978-0-300-10862-0

Recommended Citation

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