Red-legged honeycreeper

Cyanerpes cyaneus

(Photo from Associazione Ornitologica Europea)

Common name:
red-legged honeycreeper (en); saíra-beija-flor (pt); guit-guit saï (fr); mielero patirrojo (es); Türkisnaschvogel (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Thraupidae

Range:
This species is found from southern Mexico to central Brazil and Bolivia. There is also a disjunct population in the Atlantic rainforest of south-eastern Brazil.

Size:
These birds are 12-13 cm long and weigh 14 g.

Habitat:
The red-legged honeycreeper is found along the edges of rainforests and swamp forests, in open dry woodlands and savannas, second growths, rural areas and plantations. They occur from sea level up to an altitude of 1.200 m.

Diet:
They feed on insects, some fruits and nectar.

Breeding:
The female builds a cup-shaped nest made of spider webs, placed in a fork in a tree. There she lays 2-3 white eggs with brown blotches, which she incubates alone for 12-13 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 14 days after hatching. Each pair can raise 2-3 broods per year.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
The red-legged honeycreeper has a very large breeding range and a global population estimated at 5-50 million individuals. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.