Howdy, friends. Dave is back with a WPT header that involved more than zero effort. Our bird this week is the horned sungem. It is a hummingbird which lives in much of central Brazil as well as parts of Bolivia and Suriname. It lives in savannas and grasslands, integrates well into human gardens, and has recently expanded its range due to deforestation. On a related note, today I learned the difference between savannas and grasslands, a savanna has trees as well as grass, but trees are spaced widely enough apart that the tree canopy does not close, allowing enough sunlight to hit the ground to allow “an unbroken herbaceous layer.”
The horned sungem feeds on nectar, but its short bill means it will sometimes “rob nectar” by using its bill to poke a hole in the flower and drain the nectar. This method allows the bird to feed, but not to contribute to pollination, which it would otherwise do while getting all up in a flower’s business. The sungem’s bill is flattened into a “stiletto” shape to facilitate stabbing through flowers. It is highly migratory, moving throughout its range as flowers it feeds on begin to bloom.
The female sungem alone builds the nest, incubates the eggs and cares for the young. The species is highly sexually dimorphic, the females look much different than the males. The males have spectacular “horns” of red, gold and green, as well as a pointy beard of black feathers. I think the females are nevertheless quite striking, my brain keeps joking about “I only call you scum compared to Krusty!” while writing this week’s entry. Sungems are very antagonistic, fighting other birds that encroach on their territory, as well as other “subordinate species of hummingbird.” I had no idea there was such a rigid bird hierarchy, apparently the horned sungem is subordinate to the swallow-tailed hummingbird, which I will probably cover shortly. We’ve gotta know who sits at the top of the tiny pretty bird heap.
Have a good weekend, everybody, have fun posting and please take a break from the PT if you need one. Our community is caring and supportive, but we talk about lots of stressful stuff.
Links: https://tinyurl.com/4bpp2sc8, https://ebird.org/species/horsun2
