My Kind Of Place

Any place that takes its hammocks seriously is my kind of place. I am at the Yanayacu Biological Station in the Napo province of eastern Ecuador in search of the Gorgeted Woodstar (Chaetocercus heliodor). This trip is part of a 3-year study to describe the courtship displays of all the bee hummingbirds. This group of hummingbirds consists of about 3 dozen species that range from Alaska to Chile and includes the Anna’s Hummingbird and Ruby-throated Hummingbird. The lead scientist, Chris Clark, discovered that these hummingbirds actually produce sounds using their tail feathers during their courtship displays.  Chris’ research was featured along with my photographs in the September 9th issue of the journal Science.

Like many of the other species we have worked with, the Gorgeted Woodstar’s courtship display has never been described. Despite the lack of information in scientific literature, we are certain that the males do some kind of flight display given the specialized shape of their tail feathers and the displays we have seen in closely related species. The challenge is that there is so little information about where to find the birds let alone what time of year they breed. The only information we have to work with is a handful of sightings from bird lodges and a brief account in the bird guide.

Even if we are in the right place at the right time, we still have to figure out where the males set up their courtship territories. We are talking about finding a bird the size of a bumblebee that is the same color green as the rest of the forest. The hummers make it a little easier for us by hanging out in relatively open areas at the tips of bare branches, but we still end up spending the majority of our time staring at hummingbird-shaped bits of lichen.

It’s a bit absurd to come to one of the most diverse birding spots in the world and just look for one species. According to the guide at Yanayacu, you can find about 500 species of birds within a 20 km radius of the station. To put than number in perspective, the United States has somewhere around 700 species total. At least if the woodstars don’t show up, there should be plenty of other subjects to keep me busy.

  

A Chestnut-breasted Coronet (Boissonneaua matthewsii) holds its wings up when it lands, perhaps to display the color underneath