is a bird of the lowlands and foothills that ranges in elevation from sea level to about . Behavior Movement The long-billed starthroat has erratic and poorly understood movements. It seems to move in response to the flowering of different plant communities. Feeding The long-billed starthroat feeds on nectar, especially at the flowers of large trees but also those of vines, shrubs, and Heliconia. It forages both by trap-lining (visiting a circuit of flowering plants) and by defending flower-laden trees. It also feeds on small insects, often capturing them on the wing high in the air and sometimes by gleaning from vegetation. Breeding The long-billed starthroat breeds from the late wet season into the early dry season in the northern parts of its range. The span in Mexico and Central America is from October/November to February/March. Two broods per season have been observed in Central America. In northern Colombia it nests at least in September/October and March. The timing of breeding is not known in the rest of the species' range. The nest is a shallow cup made of plant down, moss, and liveworts cemented with spider silk and covered with lichen. It is typically placed between above the ground in a shrub, on an exposed branch, and even on a telephone wire. The female incubates the two white eggs for 18 to 19 days; fledging occurs 25 to 26 days after hatch. Vocalization The long-billed starthroat's calls include "a rich liquid 'tseep' or 'tsew'" and "sqeaky twitters"; the latter is made during chases. Status The IUCN has assessed the long-billed starthroat as being of Least Concern. It has a very large range and a population of at least 500,000 mature individuals. The population, however, is believed to be decreasing. No immediate threats have been identified. It is considered uncommon in most of its range but occurs in several protected areas. It is "evidently able to tolerate much disturbance, and perhaps even favoured by deforestation, as long as scattered trees and groves remain." Gallery References External links Stamps for Guyana, (with RangeMap) Long-billed starthroat photo gallery VIREO Heliomaster Hummingbird species of South America Birds of the Guianas Birds of the Amazon Basin Birds of Brazil Birds of Colombia Birds of Venezuela Birds of Trinidad and Tobago Hummingbird species of Central America Birds of Mexico Birds described in 1801 Taxa named by Jean-Baptiste Audebert Taxa named by Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot