Black-fronted hummingbird
Xantus's hummingbird (Basilinna xantusii), previously known as the black-fronted hummingbird, is a species in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is endemic to the Baja California Peninsula. It is named for John Xantus de Vesey (Xántus János), a Hungarian zoologist who collected the first specimen.
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NectarivoreIn 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...
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OviparousOviparous 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 withAdults are colored predominantly green on their upper parts and back. The tail is mostly dark reddish-brown with faint black tips, but the inner two rectrices are green. The most prominent feature is the white eye stripe found in both males and females, and similar to the related White-eared Hummingbird. The stripe is further enhanced by a bolder black stripe that borders the lower side. Both genders share cinnamon-brown underparts including the undertail coverts, with the cinnamon covering the throat in the female, notably different to the contrasting white undertail coverts of the white-eared hummingbird. In the male the throat is an iridescent green, though it is often seen as black. The bill is reddish with a black tip and often slightly curved, unlike the often straight bill of the white-eared hummingbird. The crown is often slightly greenish, but it appears black at many angles.
Xantus's hummingbird is found from central Baja California south to the peninsula's tip. It has also been recorded as a vagrant twice in California and once in British Columbia. The species inhabits arid woodlands of scrub, oak, and pine-oak at elevations between 150 and 1,500 m (490 and 4,900 ft) and also visits coastal desert, gardens, and feeders.
![Heliopaedica xantusi = Basilinna xantusii [1]](https://s3.animalia.bio/animals/photos/medium/original/1561px-basilinna-xantusii-gould.webp)
Xantus's hummingbird's movement patterns have not been fully documented. It breeds in montane forests and after nesting apparently moves as far down as sea level but does not entirely vacate the lower elevation forest. It may move south from the more northerly part of its range and it probably moves locally to be where plants are flowering. The male Xantus's hummingbird sings from within or under a bush, "a quiet, rough, gurgling warble, at times interspersed with rattles...and high, squeaky notes." The species' calls include "a low, fairly fast-paced, dry to slightly wet rattle, trrrrr or trrrt, "slightly tinny to slightly squeaky chips, ts tii-tii-tii, or tsi-ti ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-ti during an aggressive chase, and sometimes "a metallic chi-ti or ti-tink"
The Xantus's hummingbird feeds on nectar from flowers and flowering trees using a long extendable tongue or catches insects on the wing. The bird forages for nectar at a very wide variety of flowering plants, shrubs and trees, and feeds at all levels of the vegetation. It defends feeding territories. It has been noted as a major pollinator of madrone (Arbutus peninsularis), a preferred nectar source. In addition to nectar, it also feeds on small insects captured in flight and by gleaning from vegetation.
Xantus's hummingbird breeds between July and September or October in the northern part of its range and February to April in the south with a gradient between the areas. The nest is a cup of fine plant fibers, other plant materials, and small feathers bound with spiderweb and decorated with lichen and bark. It is usually suspended from the end of a thin branch within about 1 to 2 m (3 to 7 ft) above the ground or often above water. The female incubates the clutch of two eggs for 15 to 16 days and fledging occurs about 22 days after hatch.
The IUCN has assessed Xantus's hummingbird as being of Least Concern. Though it has a relatively limited range, its population is estimated at between 20,000 and 50,000 mature individuals and is believed to be stable. Although relatively sparse human population of s. Baja California might suggest that grazing pressures (or other human impacts) are relatively light, critical studies are needed.
