Green-crowned Plovercrest Stephanoxis lalandi Scientific name definitions

The two species of plovercrest occur in the Atlantic Forest region of eastern South America, but do not overlap geographically: Green-crowned Plovercrest is restricted to southeastern Brazil (from southern Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo south to northeastern São Paulo), whereas Purple-crowned Plovercrest Stephanoxis loddigesii occurs from eastern Paraguay and northeastern Argentina to southern Brazil (north to central São Paulo). The males of both species have a glittering crown with a long but narrow crest. The crown and crest are green (naturally) in Green-crowned Plovercrest, and the male has dark violet blue underparts. The crown and crest are violet in Purple-crowned Plovercrest, and the violet blue of the underparts is confined to the center of the throat and breast, bordered laterally by gray. Males of both species sing at leks; differences in song or display between the two species have not been documented.

8·5–9 cm; male 3–3·4 g (1 Grantsau, R. (1988). Os Beija-flores do Brasil. Expressão e Cultura, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Close ), female 2·2 g. Male has bill straight, black; head with long iridescent green crest, occasionally crest bluish green, longest crest feather purplish black; sides of head grey, white spot behind the eye; upperparts shining bronze-green; chin to upper belly violet-blue, rest of underparts grey; central tail feathers green, outer ones green with subterminal blackish band, tipped greyish white. Female  shining green above, grey below; head feathers slightly elongated  . Juvenile like female.

E Brazil from SE Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo to NE São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

Understorey of forest, scrub vegetation and along watercourses from sea-level to c. 1500 m, occasionally seen at much higher altitudes (Serra do Caparão, Espírito Santo, 2900 m).

Largely sedentary and, perhaps surprisingly, there is no evidence that those at highest elevations elsewhere (e.g. in Serra do Caparão, Espírito Santo/Minas Gerais) descend to lower elevations at this season (2 Vasconcelos, M.F. (2003). A avifauna dos campos de altitude da Serra do Caparaó, estados de Minas Gerais e Espírito Santo, Brasil. Cotinga. 19: 40–48. Close ).

Forages for nectar at native and introduced flowers (Vochysia, Salvia, Dombeya, Calliandra, Inga, Eucalyptus), from near the ground to treetops. Insects are caught in the air, also gleaned from leaves. Male  establishes feeding  territories mainly during reproductive period.

Song given by males a long series of a repeated modulated note, “tsi-ling...tsi-ling...tsi-ling...” ,  at a rate of c. 1–1·5 notes/second. The note is quite variable, but typically starts with a high-pitched “tsee” and ends with a lower-pitched scratchier syllable. Males sing at lek throughout breeding season. Very similar or identical to S. loddigesii.

Oct–Mar in Brazil (1 Grantsau, R. (1988). Os Beija-flores do Brasil. Expressão e Cultura, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Close ). Males generally gather at leks during the reproductive period, but lone singing males are occasionally recorded (3 Pizo, M.A. (2012). Lek behavior of the Plovercrest (Stephanoxis lalandi). Wilson J. Orn.. 124(1): 106–112. Close ). Cup-shaped nest of soft plant or seed fibres, with small fragments of moss and leaves (1 Grantsau, R. (1988). Os Beija-flores do Brasil. Expressão e Cultura, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Close ), and bound with cobweb is placed on forked branch in sheltered shrub or bamboo at 1–3 m; nest height 35 mm, external diameter 40 mm, internal diameter 26 mm (1 Grantsau, R. (1988). Os Beija-flores do Brasil. Expressão e Cultura, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Close ). Clutch size two eggs, size 14·3 mm × 8·4 mm, mass 0·46 g (1 Grantsau, R. (1988). Os Beija-flores do Brasil. Expressão e Cultura, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Close ); incubation 14–16 days, by female; chick has pale grey dorsal down; fledging at 24–28 days; young  remain with adult female for three weeks; one brood per year. First breeding in second year.

Not globally threatened. CITES II. Patchily distributed and only locally common. Population size and trend have yet to be determined BirdLife International (2015) Species factsheet: Stephanoxis lalandi. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 02/02/2015. . Readily takes to man-made habitats such as farmland with scattered bushes and forest islands. Present in Tres Picos State Park, Serra do Caparaó (2 Vasconcelos, M.F. (2003). A avifauna dos campos de altitude da Serra do Caparaó, estados de Minas Gerais e Espírito Santo, Brasil. Cotinga. 19: 40–48. Close ), Serra dos Orgãos and Itatiaia National Parks (Brazil).