Short-crested Coquette Lophornis brachylophus Scientific name definitions

Very little habitat remains for this critically endangered coquette. It is present potentially only along a 25 kilometer section of the Atoyac-Paraíso-Puerto del Gallo road in the Sierra Madre del Sur of Mexico. In this small region its habitat is unprotected and often cleared for corn, coffee, or illegal drug production. Consequently, Short-crested Coquettes are estimated to be declining at a rate of 10-19% each decade (BirdLife International 2011). They rely on humid evergreen forest, semi-deciduous, forest, pink-oak forests, and plantations. When feeding, these coquettes are generally outcompeted by other hummingbirds.

7–7·5 cm. Male has short, straight bill, black; crest short (c. 1·2 cm), filamentous, rufous, longest feathers tipped green; rest of upperparts deep emerald green, white band across rump, lower rump bronzy-purple, uppertail-coverts green; throat iridescent emerald green, cheek tufts not as conspicuous as in other congeners, short, rufous with iridescent green distal band; whitish band below throat, rest of underparts pale cinnamon; tail double-rounded, central pair of rectrices green, remainder cinnamon-rufous, tipped black. Female lacks crest and tufts, forehead dull cinnamon, upperparts pale green, buffy to whitish band across rump, lower rump duller; throat whitish, bordered by white band, lower underparts pale cinnamon; tail rounded, central pair of rectrices green, tipped blackish, others cinnamon with blackish subterminal bar, tips pale buff. Immature resembles adult female.

Sierra Madre del Sur (Guerrero), in SW Mexico.

Semi-deciduous forest, humid evergreen forest, pine-oak forest, and plantations at 900–1800 m.

Sedentary with some altitudinal movements likely.

Feeds on nectar of flowering Cecropia, Clethra, Conostegia, Inga and other small flowering plants. Hawks in the air for arthropods.

Mostly silent. A high, sharp “sip” or “tsip” when feeding. Also quiet dry chips “chi..chi-chi..” (1 Howell, S. N. G., and S. Webb (1995). A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America. Oxford University Press, New York, NY, USA. Close ). When hovering, wings make a low bee-like humming sound.

Probably Nov–Feb. No further data available.

CRITICALLY ENDANGERED. CITES II. Previously considered Endangered. Restricted-range species: present in Sierra Madre del Sur EBA. Locally frequent to uncommon (1 Howell, S. N. G., and S. Webb (1995). A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America. Oxford University Press, New York, NY, USA. Close ). Species is restricted to a small area of Sierra de Atoyac about 25 km across, and it is only recorded frequently between the villages of Arroyo Grande, Paraíso and Nueva Delhi, Guerrero. Total range less than 50 km². During 1990s, semi-deciduous forest habitat was rapidly cleared BirdLife International (2015) Species factsheet: Lophornis brachylophus. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 03/02/2015. . The habitat remains unprotected and under severe threat of deforestation for agricultural purposes such as corn and coffee cultivation. To date no plans exist for the protection of this forest type. An assessment of the species' status is difficult due to current use of the area for cultivation of narcotics, but population estimated to be fewer than a thousand mature individuals BirdLife International (2015) Species factsheet: Lophornis brachylophus. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 03/02/2015. . Considered nationally Endangered in Mexico (2 SEMARNAT (2010) Norma Oficial Mexicana NOM-23759-SEMARNAT-22371237, Protección ambiental-Especies nativas de México de flora y fauna silvestres-Categorías de riesgo y especificaciones para su inclusión, exclusión o cambio-Lista de especies en riesgo. Diario Oficial de la Federación, jueves 30 de diciembre de 2010. Gobierno de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos, Mexico D.F. Close ). There is an urgent need to protect remaining habitat.