A complex series of high chirping sounds and rolling, wheezing, humming or rollovers in one song let me take a closer look at the shadow of a bush. It is the Spot-throated Hummingbird (Leucippus taczanowski) that sings at the spot.
I am on the way from the small town of Chamaya in the wider area of the Maranon Valley. Via Bagua Grande along the Rio Utcubamba – a tributary of the Río Marañon – I am supposed to go to Pedro Ruiz through a very impressive cactus area, which would honor Arizona. It wasn’t long before I was out of Chamaya when I stopped at quiete a natural site of vegetation along the river. Actually, I just want to put on the slippers that were purchased brand new yesterday and tear off the lower leg parts of the pants. But as it is, you walk around a bit despite the heat and find: in a tree under the canopy in the shade of the leaves the singing Spot-throated Hummingbird. Up to now, I had only seen the Spot-throated Hummingbird take a quick flight. This time I can take a lot of pictures of the bird and can also see the spots on the throat. These are the “spots” for which the Spot-throated Hummingbird is named for. The heat is so strong that the Hummingbird doesn’t seem to want to move away from its shady spot at all.
The Spot-throated Hummingbird belongs to a genus of only 2 species. Leukippus are medium-sized hummingbirds with drab plumage and little or no sexual dimorphism. The top is green and the bottom is white or slightly cream colored, without any glittering elements on the chest. Leukippus-hummingbirds have black beaks that are relatively long but only slightly curved. The tail feathers of all Leukippus-hummingbirds are medium in length and have a blunt tip. The Spot-throated Hummingbird is the larger member of the genus. The underparts are cream or very light gray and there are small glittering spots on the chest and throat. The Spot-throated Hummingbird is similar to the Tumbes Hummingbird (Leucippus baeri), but this species is limited to the lower elevations on the Pacific slope in the extreme northwest of Peru. These two species generally replace each other and are not syntopic. The Tumbes Hummingbird is smaller than the Spot-throated Hummingbird and has a simple (unspotted) throat.
In order to meet the growing demand for top images of the rarer species of Palaearctic Bird-lens.com has specifically made trips to remote places. Additionally every chance is used, if a rare bird is around the homeground. This to do everything to ensure excellent photos of the Birds. The yield of pictures also of rare Western Palaearctic birds but also of birds around the world is very good. There are other nice images of birds, that you will find behind the tab “Picture Shop“. Just give bird-lens.com a notice if you need a picture of a bird which is not online.