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Calothorax lucifer

(Swainson, 1827)

Lucifer Hummingbird

G5Secure Found in 2 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
LowThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.106450
Element CodeABNUC44010
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
CITESAppendix II
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAves
OrderApodiformes
FamilyTrochilidae
GenusCalothorax
Other Common Names
Colibri lucifer (FR) Colibrí Lucifer (ES)
Concept Reference
American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in The Auk]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
Taxonomic Comments
Calothorax lucifer and C. pulcher appear to constitute a superspecies (AOU 1983).
Conservation Status
Rank MethodLegacy Rank calculation - Excel v3.1x
Review Date2015-04-30
Change Date2015-04-30
Edition Date2015-04-30
Edition AuthorsHammerson, G.
Threat ImpactLow
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of OccurrencesUnknown
Rank Reasons
Fairly large range in Mexico and small part of southwestern United States; many locations; apparently large population size; apparently stable trend; no known major threats.
Range Extent Comments
Breeding range extends from southeastern Arizona (Corman and Wise-Gervais 2005), southwestern New Mexico (Peloncillo Mountains), western Texas (Brewster County), and Nuevo León south in the highlands of Mexico to Valley of México, possibly to Morelos and Puebla (AOU 1998). Winter range extends from northern Mexico south to the limits of the breeding range, casually to western Veracruz, Oaxaca, and (questionably) Chiapas (AOU 1998). The species is casual elsewhere in southern Arizona and southern New Mexico, and in southern Texas (east to Hays, Bee, and Aransas counties) (AOU 1998). Elevational range in some areas extends to 2,750 meters (AOU 1998), Nests have been found in Arizona at elevations from 1,158 meters to just over 1,524 meters (Corman and Wise-Gervais 2005). Nesting in Texas has been observed as low as 810 meters and as high as 1,500 meters (Oberholser 1974).

Coded range extent is based on the winter range, which appears to be smaller than the breeding range extent.
Occurrences Comments
The number of distinct occurrences or subpopulations has not been determined using standardized criteria, but this species is represented by a fairly large number of observation/collection sites (e.g., see GBIF database, eBird) and locations (as defined by IUCN).
Threat Impact Comments
No major threats are known. Food supply is probably a major factor regulating population size, perhaps mainly through its effect on reproductive success (Scott 1994). For example, severe drought (and apparently reduced nectar and insect resources) in western Texas in 2011 was associated with apparently poor reproductive success (http://ebird.org/content/tx/news/lucifer-hummingbirds-texas/). Thus factors that reduce the availability of nectar-producing flowers may detrimentally affect Lucifer hummimgbird populations. However, annual variations in nectar supply are a typical feature of Lucifer hummingbird habitat, and the hummingbird populations readily withstand these natural variations. Excessive livestock grazing presumably could reduce hummingbird food supply and reproductive success, but no data are available. Lucifer hummingbirds use nectar of agave, a plant that also is often exploited by humans, but the hummingbirds are not strictly tied to agave and if necessary can make use of other nectar sources. The often rugged/harsh habitat of this species is somewhat protected in that much of it is relatively unsuitable for various incompatible human activities.
Ecology & Habitat

Description

See Kaufman (1993, Am. Birds 46:491-494) for detailed information on identification.

Habitat

Habitat includes open arid landscapes, including dry montane scrub and woodland edges; in the United States, this species occurs primarily on steep desert slopes of canyons and mountain foothills in areas with agave, sotol, and ocotillo adjacent to brushy washes with nectar-producing plants such as havard penstemon, and woolly paintbrush; upper Tropical and Subtropical zones) (Scott 1993,1994; AOU 1998). In Arizona, they also occur (primarily post-breeding) at feeding stations in drainages dominated by sycamores, evergreen oaks, or pine-oak woodland (Corman and Wise-Gervais 2005). In winter, habitats include tropical deciduous forest, open thorn forest, and arid scrub (Scott 1993). Nests in Texas have been found in shrubs (cholla, ocotillo) and on dead fruiting stalks of agave, 1-4 meters from the ground (Terres 1980, Scott 1994). Arizona nests have been found in hackberry and sycamore (Corman and Wise-Gervais 2005). In northern Sonora, nests were found among sycamore and hackberries along a stream course (Johnsgard 1983), and also in ash (Russell and Monson 1998).

Ecology

Carpenter bees may compete for nectar, for example by cutting into the base of flowers such as ocotillo (Scott 1993).

Reproduction

Active nests have been found May-August in Texas, late April through late June in Arizona (Corman and Wise-Gervais 2005); nests mainly May-September in Valley of Mexico. Clutch size is 2. Incubation lasts 15-16 days. Young fledge in 20-23 days, are fed by female for another 2 weeks. Female may combine care of fledglings with construction of a new nest and incubation of a second clutch (Scott 1993). Nesting may start late or cease if nectar is scarce (Scott 1993).
Terrestrial Habitats
Woodland - HardwoodShrubland/chaparralDesertSuburban/orchard
Palustrine Habitats
Riparian
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN4B
ProvinceRankNative
New MexicoS1B,S1NYes
TexasS4BYes
ArizonaS2Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
2 - Agriculture & aquacultureLarge - restrictedSlight or 1-10% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
2.3 - Livestock farming & ranchingLarge - restrictedSlight or 1-10% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
5 - Biological resource useUnknownUnknownHigh (continuing)
5.2 - Gathering terrestrial plantsUnknownUnknownHigh (continuing)
11 - Climate change & severe weatherPervasive (71-100%)UnknownHigh (continuing)
11.2 - DroughtsPervasive (71-100%)UnknownHigh (continuing)

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Roadless Areas (2)
Arizona (1)
AreaForestAcres
ChiricahuaCoronado National Forest76,876
New Mexico (1)
AreaForestAcres
Peloncillo (NM)Coronado National Forest43,339
References (20)
  1. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1983. Check-list of North American Birds, 6th edition. Allen Press, Inc., Lawrence, Kansas. 877 pp.
  2. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in <i>The Auk</i>]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
  3. Baltosser, W. H., and P. E. Scott. 1996. Costa's Hummingbird (<i>Calypte costae</i>). No. 251 IN A. Poole and F. Gill, editors, The birds of North America. The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The Amerian Ornithologists' Union, Washington, DC. 32pp.
  4. BirdLife International. 2004b. Threatened birds of the world 2004. CD ROM. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK.
  5. Bleiweiss, R., J. A. W. Kirsch, and J. C. Matheus. 1994. DNA-DNA hybridization evidence for subfamily structure among hummingbirds. Auk 111:8-19.
  6. Carter, M., C. Hunter, D. Pashley, and D. Petit. 1998. The Watch List. Bird Conservation, Summer 1998:10.
  7. Carter, M., G. Fenwick, C. Hunter, D. Pashley, D. Petit, J. Price, and J. Trapp. 1996. Watchlist 1996: For the future. Field Notes 50(3):238-240.
  8. Corman, T. E., and C. Wise-Gervais, editors. 2005. Arizona breeding bird atlas. University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque. x + 636 pp.
  9. Johnsgard, P. A. 1983c. Hummingbirds of North America. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. 304 pp.
  10. Montgomerie, R. D. 1979. Energetics of foraging and competition in some tropcial hummingbirds. Ph.D. dissertation, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec.
  11. Oberholser, H.C. 1974. The bird life of Texas. 2 vols. Univ. of Texas Press, Austin.
  12. Parker III, T. A., D. F. Stotz, and J. W. Fitzpatrick. 1996. Ecological and distributional databases for neotropical birds. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
  13. Poole, A. F. and F. B. Gill. 1992. The birds of North America. The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. and The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA.
  14. Powers, D. R., and S. M. Wethington. 1999. Broad-billed Hummingbird (<i>Cynanthus latirostris</i>). No. 430 IN A. Poole and F. Gill, editors. The birds of North America. The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA. 20pp.
  15. Rich, T. D., C. J. Beardmore, H. Berlanga, P. J. Blancher, M.S.W. Bradstreet, G. S. Butcher, D. W. Demarest, E. H. Dunn, W. C. Hunter, E. E. Iñigo-Elias, A. M. Martell, A. O. Panjabi, D. N. Pashley, K. V. Rosenberg, C. M. Rustay, J. S. Wendt, T. C. Will. 2004. Partners in Flight North American landbird conservation plan. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Ithaca, NY. Online. Available: <u><http://www.partnersinflight.org/cont_plan/></u>
  16. Russell, S. M., and G. Monson. 1998. The birds of Sonora. University of Arizona Press, Tucson.
  17. Scott, P. E. 1993. A closer look: lucifer hummingbird. Birding, August 1993, pp. 244-251.
  18. Scott, P. E. 1994. Lucifer hummingbird (<i>Calothorax lucifer</i>). The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, editor). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved from the Birds of North America Online: http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/134. doi:10.2173/bna.134
  19. Terres, J. K. 1980. The Audubon Society encyclopedia of North American birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
  20. Williamson, S. L. 2000. Blue-throated hummingbird (<i>Lampornis clemenciae</i>). No. 531 in A. Poole and F. Gill, editors. The birds of North America. The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA. 16pp.