Notes on the behavior of the Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (Amazilia tzacatl) and the Bananaquit (Coereba flaveola), in Colombia

Abstract

Amazilia tzacatl nests in the area of the city of Medellín in late summer, between August and November. They probably lay twice a year, two eggs at a time. This hummingbird approaches most flowers from the front, introducing its bill in the corolla to reach the nectaries, but, in the case of Thunbergia grandiflora, the approach is from the upper external part, using a hole made for the same purpose by another nectar-eating species, the Bananaquit (Coereba flaveola). At least another species of hummingbird (Haplophaedia aureliae) uses the holes made by Coereba in this flower.