Fun Horned Sungem Facts For Kids
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The horned sungem (Heliactin bilophus) is one of the most colorful birds in the world. These birds dominate the savanna areas but are scattered and found in the adjoining range of Brazil extending to Bolivia, as well as, towards the south of Suriname.
Few birds could be found in northern Brazil as well. The birds restrict themselves from residing in dense and humid zones.
The birds are recently spotted in the water areas near the grasslands and few groups are seen in the nearby habitats which are inhabited mostly by humans. During the onset of the flowering season in South America, the breeding season for the sungem starts.
The birds are seen to be migratory only in the central and eastern parts of Brazil.
In these areas, the birds migrate during the months of March-May. The nests are built of the local plant materials and the cobweb.
They are built towards the fork of a bush, which is on the ground. The nests are mainly built maintaining a distance of around 3 ft (1 m) from the ground.
If you like this, you might want to read about the giant hummingbird and amethyst throated hummingbird.
Horned Sungem Interesting Facts
What type of animal is a horned sungem?
The horned sungem (Heliactin bilophus) of South American origin is a bird. Being one of the most colorful birds of the world, these species belong to the Trochilidae family, as well as, to the Chordata phylum.
What class of animal does a horned sungem belong to?
The horned sungem (Heliactin bilophus) belongs to the Aves class of animals. The birds are members of the genus Heliactin. Along with the genus, these birds are known to have the order Apodiformes.
How many horned sungems are there in the world?
The species of the family Trochilidae are listed under the Least Concern category by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). Even though the birds are under the Least Concern status, the exact number of individuals currently residing on the planet is not known yet.
Where does a horned sungem live?
The horned sungem (Heliactin bilophus) are the local birds of South America. The birds are mostly found in the humid forests of Brazil. The birds are mainly confined within the open areas of the central and the eastern parts of Brazil.
What is a horned sungem's habitat?
The horned sungem (Heliactin bilophus) bird mostly favors the open areas of the world. In South America, the sungem's habitat includes partly dry areas which are supposedly open or partly open areas.
These areas are mostly covered with savanna forests. The species dominate the areas including the woodland and the closed gallery-based forests, as well as the grasslands adjacent to the dry savanna.
Who do horned sungems live with?
Horned sungems are mostly secretive birds and not much is known about the living habits of the species. During the breeding season, only the birds are seen to live in pairs. They partly migrate so groups of pairs of the birds are noticed.
How long does a horned sungem live?
The exact lifespan of the horned sungem is not known as of now.
How do they reproduce?
The horned sungem (Heliactin bilophus) are known to be monogamous during the breeding season, where the adults live in pairs. The adults are seen to build nests that are small enough to accommodate two to three eggs at once.
The incubation period lasts for around 13 days where the female birds are only seen in the nest. In the end, the female lays around one to three eggs.
Within 20-23 days of birth, the young are seen to be independent. The young attain sexual maturity by the time they turn two years when the first breeding for the birds are seen.
What is their conservation status?
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), the horned sungem is listed under the Least Concern category. Recently there has been an increasing trend in their population. The trend has been noticed due to the reformed international management programs and by taking necessary trade controls to restrict the birds to their original habitats.
Horned Sungem Fun Facts
What do horned sungems look like?
The horned sungem (Heliactin bilophus), of the family Trochilidae, is a colorful bird. This species has few distinctive features.
Their crown is extremely vibrant with colors like red, blue, and yellow with a few streaks of dark blue towards the side. Their plumage is mostly green, while the upper plumage connecting to the throat is black.
The lower plumage and the side of the neck are white in color. The horned sungem wings are a compilation of dark blue and black, while the tail has a pointed sharp feature. During the flight, the sharp V-type features can be visible.
The tail is mostly dark in color. The horned sungem female has almost the same features except the prominent and colorful head and throat.
How cute are they?
Just like a rufous hummingbird, the horned sungem (Heliactin bilophus) is an extremely colorful and beautiful bird from South America. Their vibrant colors and distinctive features make them very appalling physically and are a delight to the eyes.
How do they communicate?
They have high-pitched repeated calls of 'tsit' or 'tseet'. The sounds appear to be burry from a distance.
How big is a horned sungem?
The horned sungem (Heliactin bilophus) is a small bird with an average length of around 4-5 in (10–12.7 cm). They are small birds and are almost half the size of an Anna’s hummingbird, which weighs 0.14-0.15 oz (4–4.5 g).
How fast can a horned sungem move?
The exact speed of the species is not known.
How much does a horned sungem weigh?
The horned sungem has a weight of 0.06-0.09 oz (1.8–2.8 g) on average. They weigh almost the same as a bee hummingbird.
What are the male and female names of the species?
Male and female birds are called cocks and hens, respectively.
What would you call a baby horned sungem?
A baby sungem is known as a chick.
What do they eat?
They are omnivores (like hummingbirds) and mostly feed on small insects. They also feed on nectar from the flowers found in the low-lying bushes.
Are they dangerous?
There is no information about the birds being dangerous to humans or to other birds.
Would they make a good pet?
There are special trade laws to restrict these birds from being kept as pets. So, they are not kept as pets.
Did you know...
While drinking nectar from flowers, they can achieve 90 wing-beats in a second.
The horned sungem's range
The species have a range from the central and eastern to the northern parts of Brazil, including the Amazon River basin.
Is horned sungems monotypic?
Yes, the sungems are monotypic which means they are the only representatives of the genus which has a single species.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these collard owlet facts and hooded butcherbird facts for kids.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable hummingbird coloring pages.
Second image by Michael Hurben.
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