ANIMAL:Purple Honeycreeper Cyanerpes caeruleus
Type of Animal:
Songbird
Habitat:
Forest/forest edges, shrubby areas, plantations, gardens, paramo, wooded borders, second growth, open woodland, tree-scattered clearings, river edges, can be found as high as 7,500 ft
Location(s):
N South America as well as Trinidad & Tobago
Appearance:
Both sexes have long thin downcurved bill, males purple w/ black wings/belly/tail & bright yellow legs, females/juveniles have green upper body, green-streaked yellowish-buff under areas, cinnamon throat, & blue moustachial stripe, females also have yellow legs but not as bright, Trinidadian subspecies has longer bill than mainland birds
Food/Diet:
Insects, insect larvae, spiders, nectar, fruit, fruit juice, berries, fruit seeds, vegetables
Status in Wild:
Stable
Conservation:
Breeding in zoos, wildlife centers, & aviculture
Lifestyle:
Flocks of 2-11 birds
Additional Info:Called:
Male: Cock
Female: Hen
Young: Chick
Group: Flock
Weight:
0.42 oz
Gestation:
2.5 weeks
Life Span:
10 years in wild, 15 years in captivity
Height:
4 in
Body Length:
3.94 in
Tail Length:
0.97-1.27 in
Main predators are mammals, birds, snakes, crocodilians, lizards, & tarantulas.
Call thin high-pitched zree.
Females build cup nests in trees.
Females usually lay 2 brown-blotched white eggs.
Female does incubation but both parents rear chicks.
Active during the day (diurnal).
Sexually mature at 9 months old.
Often seen hanging upside down when eating/obtaining food.
Hover often when foraging & when catching insects, either in flight or on foliage.
Very active & often restless birds.
Often seen w/ other bird species.
Fun Fact(s):
Respond readily to easily imitated call of Ferruginous Pygmy Owl (a primary predator). Small flocks sometimes mob predators.
Sometimes kept as cagebirds.
Bill shape well adapted for nectar feeding as well as for piercing fruits.
