Marvellous Spatuletail
Encyclopedia
The Marvellous Spatuletail (Loddigesia mirabilis) is a medium-sized (up to 15 cm long) white, green and bronze hummingbird
adorned with blue crest feathers, a brilliant turquoise
gorget, and a black line on its white underparts. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Loddigesia.
A Peru
vian endemic
, this species is found in the forest edge of the Río Utcubamba region. It was first reported in 1835 by the bird collector Andrew Matthews for George Loddiges
.
The Marvellous Spatuletail is unique among birds, for it has just four feathers in its tail. Its most remarkable feature is the male's two long racquet
-shaped outer tail feathers that cross each other and end in large violet-blue discs or "spatules". He can move them independently.
Due to ongoing habitat loss, small population size, and limited range, the Marvellous Spatuletail is evaluated as Endangered on the IUCN Red List
of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix II of CITES. In 2006, American Bird Conservancy provided Peruvian conservation partner ECOAN with support to sign a conservation easement with the Pomacochas Community to protect and manage about 100 acre (0.404686 km²) of significant habitat for the Marvelous Spatuletail hummingbird. Over 30,000 sapplings of native trees and bushes have since been planted there for the spatuletail. This conservation easement is the first of its kind in Peru.
The Marvellous Spatuletail has been featured on the PBS TV series Nature
.
Hummingbird
Hummingbirds are birds that comprise the family Trochilidae. They are among the smallest of birds, most species measuring in the 7.5–13 cm range. Indeed, the smallest extant bird species is a hummingbird, the 5-cm Bee Hummingbird. They can hover in mid-air by rapidly flapping their wings...
adorned with blue crest feathers, a brilliant turquoise
Turquoise
Turquoise is an opaque, blue-to-green mineral that is a hydrous phosphate of copper and aluminium, with the chemical formula CuAl648·4. It is rare and valuable in finer grades and has been prized as a gem and ornamental stone for thousands of years owing to its unique hue...
gorget, and a black line on its white underparts. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Loddigesia.
A Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
vian endemic
Endemism in birds
An endemic bird area is a region of the world that contains two or more restricted-range species, while a "secondary area" contains one or more restricted-range species. Both terms were devised by Birdlife International....
, this species is found in the forest edge of the Río Utcubamba region. It was first reported in 1835 by the bird collector Andrew Matthews for George Loddiges
Loddiges
The Loddiges family managed one of the most notable of the eighteenth and nineteenth century plant nurseries that traded in and introduced exotic plants, trees, shrubs, ferns, palms and orchids into European gardens....
.
The Marvellous Spatuletail is unique among birds, for it has just four feathers in its tail. Its most remarkable feature is the male's two long racquet
Racquet
A racquet or racket is a sports implement consisting of a handled frame with an open hoop across which a network of cord is stretched tightly. It is used for striking a ball in such games as squash, tennis, racquetball, and badminton...
-shaped outer tail feathers that cross each other and end in large violet-blue discs or "spatules". He can move them independently.
Due to ongoing habitat loss, small population size, and limited range, the Marvellous Spatuletail is evaluated as Endangered on the IUCN Red List
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix II of CITES. In 2006, American Bird Conservancy provided Peruvian conservation partner ECOAN with support to sign a conservation easement with the Pomacochas Community to protect and manage about 100 acre (0.404686 km²) of significant habitat for the Marvelous Spatuletail hummingbird. Over 30,000 sapplings of native trees and bushes have since been planted there for the spatuletail. This conservation easement is the first of its kind in Peru.
The Marvellous Spatuletail has been featured on the PBS TV series Nature
Nature (TV series)
Nature is a wildlife television program produced by Thirteen/WNET New York. It has been distributed to United States public television stations by the PBS television service since its debut on October 10, 1982. Some episodes may appear in syndication on many PBS member stations around the U.S. and...
.
External links
- Pictures of Marvellous Spatuletail.
- Marvellous Spatuletail videos on the Internet Bird Collection
- BirdLife Species Factsheet
- IUCN Red List
- Marvelous Spatuletail photo gallery at VIREO including this high-resolution photo
- Spatuletail video at the BBC