Bearded Helmetcrest

Bearded Helmetcrest
Oxypogon guerinii lindenii
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Apodiformes
Family:	Trochilidae
Genus:	Oxypogon
Species:	O. guerinii
Binomial name
Oxypogon guerinii Boissonneau, 1840

The Bearded Helmetcrest (Oxypogon guerinii) is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is found in Colombia and Venezuela. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland, known as páramo.

First described by French ornithologist Auguste Boissonneau in 1840, it is the only member of the genus Oxypogon. However, a study of mitochondrial DNA of hummingbirds shows it to be most closely related to the Bearded Mountaineer (Oreonympha nobilis) and the Rufous-capped Thornbill (Chalcostigma ruficeps). The other member of the genus Chalcostigma lay outside the group, suggesting the genus might need revising in the future.^[1]

Measuring 114 mm (4.5 in) in length, it is a small hummingbird with a very small 8 mm (0.3 in) bill. The adult male has a distinctive pointed black crest and a shaggy white beard. The face and cheeks are blackish, rendering a triangular shape with the white fronted crest and white beard. The underparts are a dull green-grey. The female lacks the beard and crest.^[2][3]

The Bearded Helmetcrest is found in the Andes, ranging from altitudes of 3600 to 4500 m (12000-15000 ft) in Venezuela,^[3] and 3200 to 5200 m (10500 to 17000 ft) in Colombia.^[2] Its main habitat is the páramo, but can descend to the treeline outside of breeding season.^[3]

The Bearded Helmetcrest often perches on boulders and flits between low-flowering shrubs, visiting the flowers of the genera Espeletia, Echeveria, Siphocampylus, Castilleja and Draba.^[3]

The species breeds during the rainy season, and nests in in the daisy Espeletia or builds a nest of material from the daisy in a cliff or bank.^[3]

References

1. ^ McGuire, Jimmy A.; Witt Christopher C.; Remsen, J. V. Jr; Dudley R.; Altshuler, Douglas L. (2008). "A higher-level taxonomy for hummingbird". Journal of Ornithology 150: 155–65. doi:10.1007/s10336-008-0330-x. http://www.msb.unm.edu/birds/publications/McGuire_etal_2008_J.Ornithol._Trochilid_Taxonomy.pdf. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Steven L. Hilty, Bill Brown (1986). A guide to the birds of Colombia. Princeton University Press. p. 295. ISBN 069108372X. http://books.google.com.au/books?id=kHa6tJNKGDAC&pg=PA295&dq=Bearded+Helmetcrest&hl=en&ei=QezzTcOsIYnuuAOk8NDtBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Bearded%20Helmetcrest&f=false. Retrieved 12 June 2011. 
3. ^ ^{a b c d e} Steven L. Hilty, Rodolphe Meyer de Schauensee (2003). Birds of Venezuela. Princeton University Press. p. 432. ISBN 0691092508. http://books.google.com.au/books?id=40mFwoALUFUC&pg=PA432&dq=Bearded+Helmetcrest&hl=en&ei=QezzTcOsIYnuuAOk8NDtBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=Bearded%20Helmetcrest&f=false. Retrieved 12 June 2011. 

• BirdLife International (2009). "Oxypogon guerinii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.1. International Union for Conservation of Nature. http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/143082. Retrieved 23 June 2011.