Designed by Paul Smith 2006. This website is copyrighted by law.
Material contained herewith may not be used without the prior written permission of FAUNA Paraguay.
Material on this page was provided by Paul Smith, Silvia Centrón, Matt Denton and Arne Lesterhuis and is used with their permission.
BLUE-TUFTED STARTHROAT Heliomaster furcifer
Even amongst the generally long-billed hummingbird group, the Starthroat is a "big-nose". It uses its extra long bill and tongue to probe deep into umbrella-shaped flowers and feed on the rich, sweet nectar within. The Starthroat is one of Paraguay´s bigger hummingbirds, but his slender frame makes him appear much more graceful than other similar-sized species.
Click on the images to enlarge them.
FIGURE 1 - (FPAVE2701PH) Breeding adult male ventral, Isla Po´i, Departamento Presidente Hayes (Matt Denton October 2010).
FIGURE 2 - (FPAVE3303PH) Nonbreeding male, Fortín Toledo, Departamento Boquerón (Paul Smith February 2012).
FIGURE 3 - (FPAVE380PH) Breeding adult male, Encarnación, Departamento Itapúa (Paul Smith November 2006).
FIGURE 4 - (FPAVE381PH) Same individual upperside (Paul Smith November 2006).
FIGURE 5 - (FPAVE382PH) Female on nest, PN Tte Enciso, Departamento Boquerón (Silvia Centrón September 2007).
FIGURE 6 - (FPAVE383PH) Female on nest, PN Tte Enciso, Departamento Boquerón (Paul Smith October 2007).
FIGURE 7 - (FPAVE384PH) Nest with young, PN Tte Enciso, Departamento Boquerón (Paul Smith October 2007).
FIGURE 8 - (FPAVE385PH) Nest with egg, Asunción, Departamento Central (Arne Lesterhuis undated).
FIGURE 9 - (FPAVE386PH) Adult male found dead upperside, Madrejón, Departamento Alto Paraguay (Paul Smith November 2010).
FIGURE 9 - (FPAVE387PH) Same individual as (FPAVE380PH) underside (Paul Smith November 2010).
VIDEO A - (FPAVE3304VI) Nonbreeding male, Fortín Toledo, Departamento Boquerón (Paul Smith February 2012).
VIDEO B - (FPAVE388VI) Same nest as (FPAVE382PH - FPAVE384PH)  (Paul Smith October 2007).
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