Amethyst Woodstar Calliphlox amethystina Scientific name definitions

The most widely distributed of its genus, the Amethyst Woodstar is found in a great variety of habitats throughout its circum-Amazonian distribution. The male is mainly bronzy green above with a prominently forked tail, white sides to the rump, and a striking amethyst-colored throat, bordered by a white breast band. The female has a green-spotted white throat, orange-rufous sides to the underparts, and a narrow white line behind the eye. The Amethyst Woodstar has been recorded taking the nectar of a large number of plant species, and at least occasionally the species hawks insects in flight. This woodstar is probably largely sedentary, but local movements potentially occur, though have yet to be proven. The species is usually not uncommon, but is rather rare and has perhaps declined in northeast Argentina, and is very poorly known in Colombia.

6–8·4 cm (1 Grantsau, R. (1988). Os Beija-flores do Brasil. Expressão e Cultura, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Close ) (including tail of up to 3·2 cm) (1 Grantsau, R. (1988). Os Beija-flores do Brasil. Expressão e Cultura, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Close ); 2·3–2·5 g. The only woodstar over much of its range, there is limited overlap with Chaetocercus mulsant in some regions, e.g. E Peru, and females of these two species can be confused, although female amethystina has more extensive rufous colour on underparts and perhaps narrower pale tips to rectrices (2 Schulenberg, T. S., D. F. Stotz, D. F. Lane, J. P. O’Neill, and T. A. Parker (2007). Birds of Peru. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, USA. Close ), while in N Venezuela, present species might overlap with similar Chaetocercus jourdanii; male of latter has paler green upperparts and rufous in tail, while female lacks pale throat of C. amethystina and has rufous outer tail feathers with a broad black subterminal band (3 Hilty, S. L. (2003). Birds of Venezuela. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Male C. mitchelli very similar to same sex of present species, but no geographical overlap. Male has medium-sized, straight black bill; upper­parts dark bronzy-green, postocular spot white , large white flank spot on either side of rump; gorget iridescent amethyst, whitish band across breast , rest of underparts greenish, with brownish lower flanks; tail deeply forked , purple-black, tipped green. Eclipse male has pale throat with some iridescent discs. Female  has upperparts similar to male; underparts whitish, throat with a few green spangles, flanks and undertail-coverts rufous  , white patch on either side of rump; tail short, mainly dull green, with black subterminal band, tipped white to buff or cinnamon . Juvenile resembles adult female.

E Colombia, Venezuela and the Guianas S to E Ecuador, E Peru and N Bolivia, E through Brazil and S to Paraguay and NE Argentina (Misiones).

A great variety of habitats from humid forest borders, clearings and savannas to scrubby open woodland, not present inside forests; up to 1500 m. Forages in low bushes and small trees.

Probably mainly sedentary with some local dispersal, but poorly understood. For example, in Chapada Diamantina, Bahia (Brazil), C. amethystina is present only in Jan–Jul (4 Machado, C.G., Coelho, A.G., Santana, C.S. and Rodrigues, M. (2007). Beija-flores e seus recursos florais em uma área de campo rupestre da Chapada Diamantina, Bahia. Rev. Bras. Orn. 15(2): 267–279. Close ). The species is also considered to be very local and probably seasonal N of Orinoco in Venezuela, with, for instance, records in Guárico solely available from Aug, Oct and Dec–Jan (3 Hilty, S. L. (2003). Birds of Venezuela. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ).

Takes nectar  of a great variety of flowers, including Anacardium, Bowdichia (5 Rojas, R. and Ribon, R. (1997). Guilda de aves em Bowdichia virgllioides (Fabaceae: Faboideae) em área de cerrado de Furnas, Minas Gerais. Ararajuba. 5(2): 189–194. Close ), Calliandra, Canna (6 Amaral, H.L.C., Bergmann, F.B., Silveira dos Santos, L.S. and Silveira dos Santos, P.R. (2011). Calliphlox amethystina (Aves: Trochilidae): additional records and biological information about the species in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Atualidades Ornitológicas. 161: 10–12. Close ), Citrus, Cnidoscolus (7 Las-Casas, F.M.G., Azevedo Júnior, S.M. and Dias Filho, M.M. (2012). The community of hummingbirds (Aves: Trochilidae) and the assemblage of flowers in a Caatinga vegetation. Braz. J. Biol.. 72(1): 51–58. Close ), Convolvulus, Cuphea (4 Machado, C.G., Coelho, A.G., Santana, C.S. and Rodrigues, M. (2007). Beija-flores e seus recursos florais em uma área de campo rupestre da Chapada Diamantina, Bahia. Rev. Bras. Orn. 15(2): 267–279. Close ), Delphinium, Duranta, Erythrina, Fuchsia, Genipa, Grevillea, Helicteris, Hohenbergia (4 Machado, C.G., Coelho, A.G., Santana, C.S. and Rodrigues, M. (2007). Beija-flores e seus recursos florais em uma área de campo rupestre da Chapada Diamantina, Bahia. Rev. Bras. Orn. 15(2): 267–279. Close ), Humiria (4 Machado, C.G., Coelho, A.G., Santana, C.S. and Rodrigues, M. (2007). Beija-flores e seus recursos florais em uma área de campo rupestre da Chapada Diamantina, Bahia. Rev. Bras. Orn. 15(2): 267–279. Close ), Inga, Lantana, Leonurus, Mabea (8 Olmos, F. and Boulhosa, R.L.P. (2000). A meeting of opportunists: birds and other visitors to Mabea fistulifera (Euphorbiaceae) inflorescences. Ararajuba. 8(2): 93–98. Close ), Maranta, Nicotinia, Oenothera (6 Amaral, H.L.C., Bergmann, F.B., Silveira dos Santos, L.S. and Silveira dos Santos, P.R. (2011). Calliphlox amethystina (Aves: Trochilidae): additional records and biological information about the species in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Atualidades Ornitológicas. 161: 10–12. Close ), Palicourea, Passiflora, Pavonia, Plectranthus (6 Amaral, H.L.C., Bergmann, F.B., Silveira dos Santos, L.S. and Silveira dos Santos, P.R. (2011). Calliphlox amethystina (Aves: Trochilidae): additional records and biological information about the species in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Atualidades Ornitológicas. 161: 10–12. Close ), Psychotria, Saranthe, Stachytarpheta, Struthantus, Tacinga (7 Las-Casas, F.M.G., Azevedo Júnior, S.M. and Dias Filho, M.M. (2012). The community of hummingbirds (Aves: Trochilidae) and the assemblage of flowers in a Caatinga vegetation. Braz. J. Biol.. 72(1): 51–58. Close ), Vochysia and introduced Eucalyptus trees. Insects are caught in the air by hawking . Dominated by most other hummingbirds in E Brazil, e.g. Leucochloris albicollis, Hylocharis chrysura, Thalurania glaucopis, Stephanoxis lalandi (6 Amaral, H.L.C., Bergmann, F.B., Silveira dos Santos, L.S. and Silveira dos Santos, P.R. (2011). Calliphlox amethystina (Aves: Trochilidae): additional records and biological information about the species in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Atualidades Ornitológicas. 161: 10–12. Close ), and Eupetomena macroura (7 Las-Casas, F.M.G., Azevedo Júnior, S.M. and Dias Filho, M.M. (2012). The community of hummingbirds (Aves: Trochilidae) and the assemblage of flowers in a Caatinga vegetation. Braz. J. Biol.. 72(1): 51–58. Close ).

Apparently undescribed.

Nov–Apr, at least in E Brazil (1 Grantsau, R. (1988). Os Beija-flores do Brasil. Expressão e Cultura, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Close ). Cup-shaped nest is built of soft plant material  from Typha, Bromeliaceae and Gramineae, decorated outside with lichens, placed on a horizontal branch inside vegetation, once 15 m above ground (3 Hilty, S. L. (2003). Birds of Venezuela. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); nest dimensions: height 28 mm, external diameter 30 mm, internal diameter 16 mm (1 Grantsau, R. (1988). Os Beija-flores do Brasil. Expressão e Cultura, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Close ). Clutch size two eggs, size 13 mm × 8 mm, mass 0·33–0·34 g (1 Grantsau, R. (1988). Os Beija-flores do Brasil. Expressão e Cultura, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Close ); incubation  13–14 days, by female; fledging at 20–22 days.

Not globally threatened. CITES II. Common in most of range; apparently rather local in Colombia, where not well known; very local in Venezuela, where records concentrated in S of country (3 Hilty, S. L. (2003). Birds of Venezuela. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); uncommon over E Peru (2 Schulenberg, T. S., D. F. Stotz, D. F. Lane, J. P. O’Neill, and T. A. Parker (2007). Birds of Peru. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, USA. Close ); and also considered to be rare, albeit regularly recorded, in French Guiana (9 Renaudier, A., and Comité d’Homologation de Guyane (2010). Rare birds in French Guiana in 2005–07. Cotinga 32:95–104. Close ). Widespread over much of Brazil, but status poorly known in southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul, where mainly recorded in spring and summer, and from a comparatively small number of localities (6 Amaral, H.L.C., Bergmann, F.B., Silveira dos Santos, L.S. and Silveira dos Santos, P.R. (2011). Calliphlox amethystina (Aves: Trochilidae): additional records and biological information about the species in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Atualidades Ornitológicas. 161: 10–12. Close ). Throughout range appears to accept man-made habitats like gardens and parkland. In NE Argentina, population appears to have declined, and species has now become the rarest of the regularly recorded hummingbirds in Iguazú National Park.