Lucifer+Humming+Bird

Basic Information
The Lucifer Humming Bird,//Calothorax lucifer //, is one type of hummingbird species. Its mainly a species of the northern Mexico and central Mexico. Reaching the United States in Arizona, New Mexico and West Texas. It belongs to a species of hummingbirds called "Sheartails" named for there narrow tail.
 * **Kingdom:** || Animalia ||
 * **Phylum:** || Chordata ||
 * **Class:** || Aves ||
 * **Order:** || Apodiformes ||
 * **Family:** || Trochilidae ||
 * **Genus:** || Calothorax ||
 * **Species:** || Calothorax Lucifer ||

**Habitat** ** Lucifer Hummingbirds are very associated with the rocky slopes and Chihuahuan Desert vegetation with elevations of about 3,500-4,500 feet from March to September. The nest sites are usually selected on slopes above rocky or wooded washes. The nests slopes are steep with slick rock, shrubs and no soil at all and about 1-2km from a favored foraging area. There nest are constructed in cholla, ocotillo, or dead stalks of lechuguilla. In the U.S breeding extends from early April to August and two broods would be raised. And in the winter they migrate to the central part of Mexico. There is a species population of more than 200,000. **

Physiology
The male Lucifer Humming bird has a metallic green back and crown, magenta gorget, white breast, buff sides and downward curving bill. The female has a green back and crown, white breast and throat, buff sides, white tips on outer tail feathers and decurved bill. They have a backbone, no sense of smell, rotates its wings back and forth, beat there wings about 80 times a second during normal flight, heart rate reaching up to 1,260 beats per minute, have very weak feet, and 4.2% of its body weight is its brain.

Species Interactions
The Lucifer Hummingbird tend to migrate somewhere better in the winter. There in search for food all the time. While the female bird is building the nest the male bird displays to her. The display lasts from about 30-45 seconds and it occurs about 5 times an hour. Females defend there nests in a correct manner. And males defend there flowers from others.

Reproduction
After the hummingbirds mate the female takes about 2 weeks to make the nest. The nest is about 1.8 across and 2.2 inches tall. The nest is created with oak catkins, flower down, dried grass, twigs, lichens and other smaller leaves. The nests are built on a horizontal angle of a plant or tree branch. Incubation period is 15 days and nestling period is from 22-27 days. The eggs are plain white. The female forages for food such as spiders, and other smaller insects to feed her young.

Nutrition
This bird has a very high metabolism. So it feast off of nectar and insects. The Lucifer carries the pollen to other flowers in return. They take a lot of nectar from the flower tube while hovering. They catch insects in the early mornings things like spiders and flies. Because of there size they cant eat other bigger foods. They get all there energy from the flowers and insects they eat.