No CrossRef data available.
Article contents
Distribution, ecology, and natural history of the recently rediscovered and Critically Endangered Santa Marta Sabrewing Campylopterus phainopeplus
Part of:
BirdLife Discoveries
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 April 2025
Summary
The Santa Marta Sabrewing Campylopterus phainopeplus is listed as a “Critically Endangered” hummingbird endemic to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (SNSM) in Colombia. Prior to 2022, there were only three documented sightings of the sabrewing since it was described in 1879, including only one record between 1946 and 2022. As a result, this “lost” species has long been one of the most poorly known birds in Colombia. We located a resident population of Santa Marta Sabrewing along the Guatapurí River near the Chemesquemena and Guatapurí villages in July 2022, and at its type locality, San José, in January 2023. Based on historical data and newly collected field observations, we assess the species’ status and describe aspects of its natural history and ecology. Our review indicates that the species has been frequently misidentified in the past, and that to date, documented evidence of its presence is limited to four localities, all of them restricted to the south-eastern slope of the SNSM, along the mid Guatapurí River basin. Consequently, this bird appears to represent a case of microendemism. This species is likely to remain listed as Critically Endangered until conclusive evidence suggests otherwise. Field observations indicate that the species is highly associated with watercourses, where males hold year-round territories and form leks. We obtained records of males in mid-elevation habitats (1,150–1,850 m) for 16 consecutive months between July 2022 and October 2023, suggesting that the species might not be an elevational migrant, as previously speculated. More information is needed to understand the species’ ecology so that effective conservation actions can be designed in collaboration with the indigenous communities with which the species coexists.
Information
- Type
- Research Article
- Information
- Copyright
- © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of BirdLife International
References
Ayerbe-Quiñones, F. (2018). Colibríes de Colombia, 2nd Edn. Serie: Avifauna Colombiana. Cali: Wildlife Conservation Society.Google Scholar
BirdLife International (2024a). Endemic Bird Areas Factsheet: Santa Marta Mountains. Available at http://www.birdlife.org/ (accessed 1 March 2024).Google Scholar
BirdLife International (2024b). Species Factsheet: Campylopterus phainopeplus. IUCN Red List for Birds. Available at http://www.datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet (accessed 1 March 2024).Google Scholar
Cárdenas-Ortíz, L. and Cortés-Herrera, O. (2016).
Campylopterus phainopeplus
. In Renjifo, L.M., Amaya-Villarreal, A.M., Burbano-Girón, J. and Velásquez-Tibatá, J.I. (eds), Libro Rojo de Aves de Colombia, Volumen II: Ecosistemas Abiertos, Secos, Insulares, Acuáticos Continentales, Marinos, Tierras Altas del Darién y Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta y Bosques Húmedos del Centro, Norte y Oriente del País. Bogotá: Editorial Pontificia Universidad Javeriana/Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt.Google Scholar
Duran-Izquierdo, M. and Olivero-Verbel, J. (2021). Vulnerability assessment of Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia: World’s most irreplaceable nature reserve. Global Ecology and Conservation. 28, e01592. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01592CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) (2011). ArcGIS Desktop: Release 10. Redlands: ESRI.Google Scholar
Esteves Lopes, L., Nogueira, W. and Miranda, W. (2020). The Dry-forest Sabrewing Campylopterus calcirupicola (Aves: Trochilidae) nests in limestone caves. Journal of Natural History 54, 1593–1602. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2020.1819454CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fiske, I. and Chandler, R. (2011). “unmarked”: an R package for fitting hierarchical models of wildlife occurrence and abundance. Journal of Statistical Software 43, 1–23. https://doi.org/10.18637/jss.v043.i10CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hayes, F.E. (2002). Sabre rattling at the lek: morphological variation and its significance in the White-tailed Sabrewing (Campylopterus ensipennis). In Hayes, F.E. and Temple, S.A. (eds), Studies in Trinidad and Tobago Ornithology Honouring Richard ffrench. St. Augustine: Department of Life Sciences, University of West Indies.Google Scholar
Hayes, F.E., Trimm, N.A. and ffrench, R.P. (2000). Breeding biology of the White-tailed Sabrewing at Tobago, West Indies. Journal of Field Ornithology 71, 597–605.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hilty, S.L. and Brown, W.L. (1986). A Guide to the Birds of Colombia, 1st Edn. Princeton: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Instituto de Hidrología, Meteorología y Estudios Ambientales (IDEAM) (2021). Leyenda Nacional de Coberturas de la Tierra. Metodología CORINE Land Cover Adaptada para Colombia Escala 1:100.000 (período 2018). Bogotá, Colombia: IDEAM.Google Scholar
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) (2022). Guidelines for Using the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. Version 15. Prepared by the Standards and Petitions Committee. Available at https://www.iucnredlist.org/documents/RedListGuidelines.pdf (accessed 1 March 2024).Google Scholar
Le Saout, S., Hoffmann, M., Shi, Y., Hughes, A., Bernard, C., Brooks, T.M. et al. (2013). Protected areas and effective biodiversity. Science 342, 803–805. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1239268CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Luke, S.H., Slade, E.M., Gray, C.L., and Annammala, K.V. (2019). Riparian buffers in tropical agriculture: Scientific support, effectiveness and directions for policy. Journal of Applied Ecology 56, 85–92. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13280CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marín, M. (2001). Postnatal development of the Violet Sabrewing in Costa Rica. The Wilson Bulletin 113, 110–114.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McMullan, M. (2016). Field Guide to the Hummingbirds, 1st Edn. Quito: Ratty Ediciones.Google Scholar
Neu, C.W., Byers, C.R. and Peek, J.M. (1974). A technique for analysis of utilization–availability data. Journal of Wildlife Management 38, 541–545.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
R Core Team (2020). R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing, version 4.0.2. Vienna: R Foundation for Statistical Computing. http://www.R-project.org/Google Scholar
Renjifo, L.M., Amaya-Villarreal, A.M., Burbano-Girón, J. and Velásquez-Tibatá, J. (2016). Libro Rojo de las Aves de Colombia vol. II: Especies Acuáticas de Ecosistemas Abiertos y Secos, Tierras Altas del Darién, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta e Insulares. Bogotá: Editorial Pontificia Universidad Javeriana/Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt.Google Scholar
Renjifo, L.M., Franco-Maya, A.M., Amaya-Espinel, J.D., Kattan, G.H. and López-Lanús, B. (2002). Libro Rojo de Aves de Colombia. Bogotá: Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt/Ministerio de Medio Ambiente.Google Scholar
Rutt, C.L. and Mittermeier, J.C. (2023). Search for Lost Birds. A Global List of Lost Bird Species. American Bird Conservancy, Re:wild, and BirdLife International. Available at https://searchforlostbirds.org (accessed 8 March 2024).Google Scholar
Salaman, P., Cortés-Diago, A., Luna, J.C., Borrero-Álvarez, A. and Toro, J.L. (2022). Evaluación de Especies de Aves Amenazadas en Colombia. Conservación Colombiana 27, 4–16.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Salaman, P., Renjifo, L.M. and López-Lanús, B. (2002).
Campylopterus phainopeplus
. In Renjifo, L.M., Franco-Maya, A.M., Amaya-Espinel, J.D., Kattan, G.H. and López-Lanús, B. (eds), Libro Rojo de Aves de Colombia. Bogotá: Instituto de investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt/Ministerio de Medio Ambiente.Google Scholar
Salvin, O. and Godman, F.D.C. (1879). On a collection of birds from the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta, Columbia. Ibis 21, 196–206.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Simons, F.A.A. (1879). Notes on the topography of the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta, U.S. of Colombia. Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society and Monthly Record of Geography 1, 689–694.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Simons, F.A.A. (1881). On the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta and its watershed (State of Magdalena, U.S. of Colombia). Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society and Monthly Record of Geography 1, 705–723.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sueur, J., Aubin, T. and Simonis, C. (2008). Seewave: a free modular tool for sound analysis and synthesis. Bioacoustics 18, 213–226. https://doi.org/10.1080/09524622.2008.9753600CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Todd, W.E.C. and Carriker, M.A. Jr (1922). The birds of the Santa Marta region of Colombia: A study in elevational distribution. Annals of the Carnegie Museum 14, 1–582.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Winkler, D.W., Billerman, S.M. and Lovette, I.J. (2020). Hummingbirds (Trochilidae), version 1.0. In Billerman, S.M., Keeney, B.K., Rodewald, P.G. and Schulenberg, T.S. (eds), Birds of the World. Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Available at https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.trochi1.01 (accessed 7 March 2024).Google Scholar
Botero-Delgadillo et al. supplementary material
Botero-Delgadillo et al. supplementary material
File
1.9 MB