Reproductive biology of the Purple-throated Sunangel Heliangelus viola (Trochilidae) in the southern Andes of Ecuador
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18272/reo.v12i1.3872Keywords:
Andean hummingbirds, incubation behavior, materiales, nesting, post-hatchingAbstract
The Purple-throated Sunangel Heliangelus viola (Trochilidae) is a hummingbird endemic to the Andes of southern Ecuador and northern Peru, whose reproductive biology remains poorly documented. In this study, we describe the characteristics of the nest, eggs, nestlings, and parental care during incubation and brooding. We recorded five nests in three locations the Andes of southern Ecuador: one located on the wall of a house next to a nest of the Streak-throated Bush-Tyrant Myiotheretes striaticollis (Tyrannidae), two on road banks crossing Andean shrubland, and two on roadside banks crossing pastures. One of the nests was continuously monitored with a camera trap for 40 days. All nests had a cup shape and were built with mosses, lichens, and dry leaves, lined internally with white and dark brown plant fibers. In all cases, clutch size was two oval white eggs. In the monitored nest, the incubation period lasted 14 days. The daily percentage of time spent attending the nest tended to increase during incubation, but only the number of visits showed a significant increase with embryonic development. The nestling period lasted 27 days, with a significant decrease in both nest attendance and number of visits as the nestlings grew. In addition, we recorded a post-fledging dependency period of 17 days. Heliangelus viola exhibited a prolonged reproductive period and variation in nest materials. Our data provide the first detailed description of reproductive behavior for this species and for the genus Heliangelus.
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