Bearded Helmetcrest

Bearded Helmetcrest
Bearded Helmetcrest
Oxypogon guerinii lindenii
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Apodiformes
Family: Trochilidae
Genus: Oxypogon
Species: O. guerinii
Binomial name
Oxypogon guerinii
Boissonneau, 1840

The Bearded Helmetcrest (Oxypogon guerinii) is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is found in Colombia and Venezuela. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland, known as páramo.

First described by French ornithologist Auguste Boissonneau in 1840, it is the only member of the genus Oxypogon. However, a study of mitochondrial DNA of hummingbirds shows it to be most closely related to the Bearded Mountaineer (Oreonympha nobilis) and the Rufous-capped Thornbill (Chalcostigma ruficeps). The other member of the genus Chalcostigma lay outside the group, suggesting the genus might need revising in the future.[1]

Measuring 114 mm (4.5 in) in length, it is a small hummingbird with a very small 8 mm (0.3 in) bill. The adult male has a distinctive pointed black crest and a shaggy white beard. The face and cheeks are blackish, rendering a triangular shape with the white fronted crest and white beard. The underparts are a dull green-grey. The female lacks the beard and crest.[2][3]

The Bearded Helmetcrest is found in the Andes, ranging from altitudes of 3600 to 4500 m (12000-15000 ft) in Venezuela,[3] and 3200 to 5200 m (10500 to 17000 ft) in Colombia.[2] Its main habitat is the páramo, but can descend to the treeline outside of breeding season.[3]

The Bearded Helmetcrest often perches on boulders and flits between low-flowering shrubs, visiting the flowers of the genera Espeletia, Echeveria, Siphocampylus, Castilleja and Draba.[3]

The species breeds during the rainy season, and nests in in the daisy Espeletia or builds a nest of material from the daisy in a cliff or bank.[3]

References


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