Operation RubyThroat in Honduras

Operation RubyThroat in Honduras

Mar 27, 2014| by administrator

Dr. Bill Hilton Jr. and his Operation RubyThroat colleague Ernesto Carmen traveled to Honduras for a nine-day trip scouting for Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. Excerpts from part 1 of Bill's trip report is posted below, but we suggest reading the full trip report on the Hilton Pond website.

Day 1 - Pico Bonito Highly visible were numerous hummingbirds that come to perhaps 20 sugar water feeders kept fresh by Lodge personnel. Most obvious right off the bat were big Violet Sabrewings (male above), White-necked Jacobins, and Long-billed Hermits, although we were careful to look at other smaller hummers in the hope of spotting our sought after Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. Alas, the "little" hummingbirds were all Crowned Woodnymphs. Day 2 - Pico Bonito Although it was already broad daylight, one of the first birds we saw was an Ferruginous Pygmy Owl, Glaucidium brasilianum(above)--an immature with plain brown crown. At six-inches-long, this diminutive owl is barely the size of one's palm....The species is primarily crepuscular (hunting at dusk and dawn) but frequently flies about in daytime when it preys upon insects and small mammals and reptiles. A little further along the trail was yet another Ferruginous Pygmy Owl (above)--this one an adult with streaked head. The species is primarily crepuscular (hunting at dusk and dawn) but frequently flies about in daytime when it preys upon insects and small mammals and reptiles. Day 3 - Rio Santiago On our Costa Rican study site in Guanacaste Province we've captured every hummer expected there except for Scaly-breasted Hummingbird, Phaeochroa cuvierii. Thus, we were particularly pleased to be able to photograph one (above) at Rio Santiago. This bird ranges from Mexico to Panama; it is monotypic, i.e., the only species in its genus, although there are six recognized subspecies. (Because its wing feathers have heavy shafts, some taxonomists place Scaly-breasted Hummingbird in the genus Campylopterus with sabrewings.) Another hummer we were able to photograph at Rio Santiago was one we've seen on all our Central American study sites: Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Amazilia tzacatl (above). This abundant species is about as adaptable and opportunistic in the Neotropics as Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are on their North American breeding grounds. They're also very aggressive and often drive away much larger hummers. And speaking of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, during four hours of feeder watching at Rio Santiago we saw exactly none, although the owner's wife showed us a nice photo of an adult male RTHU she took there last March. She said there had been no ruby-throats at Rio Santiago in the current non-breeding season of 2013-14, so that news pretty much ruled out the site as a place to conduct future research. After a morning at Rio Santiago that was both productive AND disappointing we headed back to Pico Bonito for lunch and a tour of the Lodge's Butterfly House. Day 4 - Pico Bonito After seeing no RTHU at the feeders at Pico Bonito or Rio Santiago, we were beginning to think they were absent from this part of Honduras OR that we had missed a local population already on its way back north to breeding grounds. It was with some relief that Ernesto and Esdras finally spotted a ruby-throat (above) feeding on yellow flowers of a Brazilian Firetree. From behind we could see the bird was in wing molt, with left primary #8 grown in about halfway. When the bird perched and turned, we got a lot more data: A single red gorget feather meant this was an immature male who needed to develop a full red throat before migrating. This bird also had heavy throat streaking typical of most young male RTHU. This solitary bird constituted our only Honduran sighting to date of our target species.  

Read the full trip report > Read part 2 >