The white-tipped sicklebill (Eutoxeres aquila ) is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela.
In zoology, a nectarivore is an animal that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of the sugar-...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withThe white-tipped sicklebill's most prominent feature is its strongly decurved bill that arcs through a quarter circle; the maxilla is black and the mandible yellow. The species is about 11.5 to 13.5 cm (4.5 to 5.3 in) long and weighs about 8.6 to 14.5 g (0.30 to 0.51 oz). The sexes are alike in plumage. Adults' upperparts are green, their throat and chest blackish, and the rest of the underparts striped green and white. The tail is mostly green, with the outer pair of feathers more dusky with white tips. Juveniles appear scaly.
The northernmost subspecies of white-tipped sicklebill, E. a. salvini, is found in Costa Rica, Panama, and western Colombia. E. a. heterurus is found from Colombia's Cauca Department south through western Ecuador, and there is also at least one record in Mérida of western Venezuela. The nominate E. a. aquila is found from eastern Colombia south through eastern Ecuador into northern Peru. The species inhabits the understory of montane evergreen forest. In Costa Rica it ranges between 300 and 700 m (980 and 2,300 ft) of elevation on the Caribbean side and 1,000 and 1,200 m (3,300 and 3,900 ft) on the Pacific side. In western Colombia it is found from sea level to 1,400 m (4,600 ft) and in the Magdalena River valley between 1,600 and 2,100 m (5,200 and 6,900 ft). In Peru it is found between 750 and 2,000 m (2,460 and 6,560 ft).
The white-tipped sicklebill primarily feeds on nectar. Its curved bill is an adaption to the shape of flowers, especially those of genera Centropogon and Heliconia, and it typically clings to the flower as it feeds. It is a "trap-line" feeder, visiting a circuit of flowering plants and not defending any particular area. Sicklebills also feed on insects by gleaning them from spiderwebs or trunks and branches.
Male white-tipped sicklebills display for females in leks with a U-shaped flight; they are polygynous. The species' breeding seasons vary across its range and it appears to often breed twice per year. The female builds a cup nest that hangs from the underside of Heliconia or larger leaves, and sometimes from human structures such as bridges and the ceilings of buildings. The nest is woven from rootlets, hair, fungal rhizomes, and plant fibers bound with spider web. The clutch size is two eggs.
The IUCN has assessed the white-tipped sicklebill as being of Least Concern, though its population has not been quantified and its trend is not known. It is "a forest-dwelling species that depends on flowers for nectar, and so could be threatened by forest fragmentation."
