Antillean Mango

Anthracothorax dominicus

Zumbador Dorado,
Mango Antillano

Audio 3
(R. Rodrφguez-Mojica, M. Oberle)

IDENTIFICATION: A large hummingbird with a curved bill. The male is green above with an iridescent green throat, black breast and grayish abdomen, and an iridescent purple tail. The female is green above and white below, with a white-tipped tail. The brightness and color of the feathers depend on the sunÆs angle. Length: 11-12 cm.; weight: 4.0-8.2 g.

VOICE: A sharp æchip æ call note; a shrill scolding call in territorial disputes. Audio 3 (R. Rodrφguez-Mojica, M. Oberle).

HABITAT: Gardens and forest edges, especially in the lowlands.

HABITS: Feeds on insects (small wasps, ants, beetles, flies, and homopterous insects), spiders, and flower nectar. The Antillean Mango will come to sugar water feeders, but may take many months to discover a feeder. Hummingbirds can hover by rotating their wings in a "figure 8" pattern, generating lift in both forward and backward directions. They beat their wings at more than 20 strokes per second. To accomplish this, the breast muscles are large, constituting almost 30% of the birdÆs body weight. Despite its small size, the mango and other hummingbirds drive out Merlins, Kestrels, Kingbirds, woodpeckers, and other larger birds that the hummingbird might perceive as a threat in its territory. The mangoÆs tiny nest is made of vegetable fibers covered with flecks of bark and lichen, bound together with spider webs. The female lays two white eggs. Although usually found in trees or banana plants 1-7 meters above the ground, the nest can be placed in odd locations like power lines, TV antennae, fences, and boat masts. The mango may nest more than once a year, and nests are sometimes reused. Most nesting occurs from March to August, but it can nest at any time of year. Incubation period is about 15 days, with chicks fledging 22-25 days after hatching.

STATUS AND CONSERVATION: Commonest of the hummingbirds in Puerto Rico along the coast. It can be attracted to plantings of flowering plants.

RANGE: Occurs in Puerto Rico, Hispaniola and the Virgin Islands. A typical site to find this species is the grounds of the Botanical Gardens in Río Piedras. Of interest, Puerto Rico has five species of common, nesting hummingbirds, more than on any other West Indian island.

TAXONOMY: TROCHILIDAE; Trochilinae. The male in the subspecies found in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands (Anthracothorax dominicus aurulentus) has a white or gray lower abdomen compared to the completely black abdomen in the subspecies in the Dominican Republic ( Anthracothorax dominicus dominicus).

References

del Hoyo, J., A. Elliott, and J. Sargatal, eds. 1999. Handbook of the Birds of the World, Vol. 5. Barn Owls to Hummingbirds. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.

Gerwin, J. A., and R. M. Zink. 1998. Phylogenetic patterns in the Trochilidae. Auk 115: 05-118.

Pérez-Rivera, R. A., A.J. Martinez, L. Miranda, J.A. Sustache, and J. Velez-Valentin. 1998. Lugares pocos usuales para el anidamiento del Zumbador Dorado (Anthracothorax dominicus) y otros aspectos de su reproducción en Puerto Rico. Carib. J. Sci. 34(1-2):162-163.

Raffaele, H.A. 1989. A guide to the birds of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Princeton.

Raffaele, H.A. 1989. Una guía a las aves de Puerto Rico y las Islas Vírgenes. Publishing Resources, Inc., Santurce, PR.

Raffaele, H.A., J.W. Wiley, O.H. Garrido, A.R. Keith, and J.I. Raffaele. 1998. Guide to the birds of the West Indies. Princeton.

Tyrrell, E. and R. Tyrrell. 1990. Hummingbirds of the Caribbean. Crown Publishers, NY.

Antillean Mango, Spanish text

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