Green Honeycreeper

ANIMAL:
Green Honeycreeper Chlorophanes spiza

Type of Animal:
Songbird

Habitat:
Forest, forest edge, secondary woodland, clearings, found as high as 7,545.932 ft

Location(s):
Ranges from S Mexico to Brazil, also found on Trinidad & Tobago

Appearance:
Both sexes have sharp decurved bill & dark gray legs/feet, males blue-green (blackish edges in flight/tail feathers) w/ black head/yellow bill/bright blue-green chin/throat/red eyes, females/juveniles grass-green to apple-green, paler throat/belly (yellowish lower belly/chin), reddish-brown eyes, black head, bill duller than male’s, juveniles have dark gray bill/brown eyes

Food/Diet:
Fruit, nectar, arthropods/arthropod larvae, seeds, worms

Status in Wild:
Stable

Conservation:
Breeding in zoos, wildlife centers, & aviculture

Lifestyle:
Flocks of 2-6 birds

Additional Info:

Called:
Male: Cock
Female: Hen
Young: Chick
Group: Flock
 
Weight:
0.67 oz

Gestation:
2 weeks 

Life Span:
7-10 years

Height:
5-5.5 in

Body Length:
5-5.5 in

Tail Length:
Male: 1.86 in
Female: 1.76 in

Main predators are snakes, birds, mammals, lizards, crocodilians, & tarantulas.
 
Females build small cup nests in trees.
 
Females lay 2 brown-blotched white eggs per clutch.
 
Vocalizes w/ sharp chips.
 
Active during the day (diurnal).
 
Feet come in handy for holding grip while reaching for food.
 
Female incubates but both parents care for chicks.
 
Often seen w/ other bird species.
 
Bright coloration allows them to camouflage.
 
Very active & often restless birds.
 
Song soft buzzy twittering interspersed w/ brief trills.
 
Rarely come to the ground.
 
Chicks fledge at 12 days old.

Fun Fact(s):
Often catches arthropods in flight.
 
Often seen hopping from twig to twig when foraging.
 
These birds make a few appearances in 2011 movie Rio.
 
Sometimes kept as cagebirds.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *