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Mango ID; rare hummers in GA and TN



On Wed, 29 Nov 2000, shantanu phukan wrote:
> 
> I did not, however, find a range map showing just what its
> normal range is. Does anyone know?

Hi C-birders,

Did a little web-surfing on the topic. Have not been able to find 
anything specific on the range of the species, although it is apparently 
common in Belize (the only place other than Concord, NC where I've seen 
the species), Nicaragua, and Costa Rica as well as Mexico. What I did find 
that seemed interesting was a few entries from the records of the Texas 
Bird Records Committee on a few of their records. I've pasted these 
below. The most informative was John Arvin's discussion on distinguishing 
Green-breasted Mango from the two other Mango species that bear the 
strongest resemblance to it, and the relative likelihood of the three 
species straying to the US. North Carolina committee members might find 
this worth perusing, at least.

On the other hand, I also found a reference that the Green-breasted Mango 
was originally called Prevost's Mango, and that the common name change 
came as a result of splitting the species from the Veraguan Mango, 
Anthracothorax veraguensis. I don't see any discussion below of how to 
tell these two species (split in 1983 by AOU) apart, unless the latter 
has had its name changed again...

I also found, at http://home.att.net/~dr.billie.taylor/TX97TR.html, a 
note describing a few birders who just missed a Green-breasted Mango in 
Corpus Cristi, TX in 1997. The names include Jim Huntington and Paul 
Sykes, both of whom showed up to enjoy the critter in Concord... In 
addition, photos of TX mangos at 
http://members.tripod.com/~tbrc/gbmango.htm and 
http://electrotex.com/saas/photos.html

And an Indiana birder, Phil Kelley, has posted several photos of the 
Concord critter at http://www.pjkelly.net/gallery/gbma.htm

Lastly, I found a page where Nancy Newfield and several others discuss 
possible new hummingbird species for each of several states. John Gerwin 
of Raleigh contributes a note on North Carolina, but (astonishingly) did 
not predict Green-breasted Mango as one of the likely new species... full 
text at http://www.hummingbirds.net/humnotes/humnotes0899.html

In other hummingbird news, a Calliope Hummingbird was banded In Monterey, 
Putnam County, Tennessee (about 200 miles from Asheville) on Saturday; 
directions have been posted on the Tennessee listserv and forwarded to 
BIRDCHAT. And a Broad-tailed Hummingbird was banded yesterday in Acworth, 
Cherokee County, Georgia (about 165 miles from Greenville, SC); 
directions have been posted to the Georgia birding listserv. The same 
listserv also mentions a male Vermilion Flycatcher near the Okefenokee 
Swamp, hopefully that isn't the Goldsboro bird heading south!

Joshua S. Rose
Duke University
Department of Biology (Zoology, R.I.P.)

jsr6@acpub.duke.edu
http://www.duke.edu/~jsr6/

-------------------------------------------------------------

http://members.tripod.com/~tbrc/AR1993.htm

     Green-breasted Mango (Anthracothorax prevostii) (1).  One
   female or immature was photographed, captured, measured,
   feather-plucked, and released in Corpus Christi, Nueces during
   its stay 6-27 January 1992 (CJ, WJ, CC, GL, CS, JD, PL, SF,
   MC, AC, GDL, PG, FB, BRi, LA, NN, LP; 1992-10, TPRF #xxxx). 
   A photograph documenting this first record for the United
   States was published in AB 46:332.  Due to the complexity in
   Anthracothorax identification, a half dozen authorities on
   neotropical hummingbirds were consulted.  Consultants and
   committee members generally concluded the bird was prevostii
   beyond a reasonable doubt and the record was accepted. 
   Numerically, the addition of Green-breasted Mango to the
   Review List resulted in the removal of "Mango species"
   previously added in 1990.  Consequently, no numerical
   difference to the total accepted species count was realized.

http://members.tripod.com/~tbrc/AR1995.htm

   Green-breasted Mango (Anthracothorax prevostii) (3).  One
   female plumaged bird, exhibiting an iridescent green belly
   stripe, was videotaped in Falfurrias, Brooks during its stay
   22-27 September 1993 (JoB, ESo, AO; 1994-30, TPRF #1273). 
   Female and immature Green-breasted Mangos can be confused with
   Black-throated Mango in that both species have long ventrally-
   located dark central stripes.  Initially, this record was
   accepted only as "mango sp.".  However, research by Arvin
   demonstrates that such mangos can be safely identified if
   blue/green iridescence is seen in the central stripe.  Thus,
   the present record was accepted on second review. 
   Additionally, at the TBRC annual meeting on 16 September 1995,
   the committee voted 7-1 to elevate Texas' first record of a
   "mango sp." (1988-272) to a Green-breasted Mango based not on
   central stripe color (which was not evident in the photos or
   description) but on geographic probability.  Therefore, the
   number of accepted Green-breasted Mango records increased by
   two for this annual report.

http://members.tripod.com/~tbrc/AM1995.htm

 Mango Hummingbirds

 Arvin discussed his findings regarding identification of immature/female 
Mango sp. hummingbirds of Central America and northern South America. 
Arvin has now visited 3 of the 4 major North American collections with 
numbers of Mango specimens (LSU, Smithsonian, and Field Museum of 
Chicago; American Museum of Natural History specimens have not been 
examined). He examined all specimens of the 3 mainland Mango species 
which are possibly confused:

     1.GBMA - Green-breasted Mango (Anthracothorax prevostii) 
     2.GTMA - Green-throated Mango (A. viridigula) 
     3.BTMA - Black-throated Mango (A. nigricollis) 

 A brief summary of distinctive aspects follows: 

 GTMA is a scarce hummer of n.e. S. Am. It is rare in collections. 
Fem/imms are easy to separate because the dark stripe on the center of 
the underparts is short, extending barely past the throat. 

 BTMA occurs in humid tropical lowlands. Fems/imms are very similar to 
GBMA except that the central dark stripe NEVER shows any blue or green 
iridescence; it is flat black.

 GBMA is highly migratory at least in the northern part of its range. 
GBMA fem/imms have varying amounts of color in the central dark stripe 
but: No GBMA failed to show at least a little blue or green color (at 
least a few metallic feathers) in the stripe. Thus, IF a mango is a 
fem/imm and IF any blue/green iridescence is seen in the dark belly 
stripe, it is a confirmed Green-breasted Mango. If no color is seen, it 
may be accepted at least as a mango sp. Based on geographic probability, 
and the fact that the northern pops of GBMA are migratory and no other 
pops of any of the other spp. are, it is a virtual certainty that any 
mango sp. in Texas is a GBMA (barring escaped captive). TBRC members may 
continue to make their own decisions on how conservative they may choose 
to view records in which no color in the central stripe is seen. 

 Arvin could find no other plumage differences that would be useful at 
distinguishing fem/imm GBMA and BTMA. Apparently the amount of 
rufous/rusty on the sides of the neck does NOT help; it is quite variable 
within and between these two species. 

 Based on this new information, the Committee re-examined the existing 
mango records for consistency of interpretation: 

        Record 1988-272 (Brownsville, September 1988; previously accepted 
as Mango sp. only) could not be demonstrated to have shown any blue or 
green in the center stripe. Nonetheless, on a motion by Sexton (second: 
Reid), the Committee accepted the record as a Green-breasted Mango on a 
vote of 7-1 (Arnold voting "No").

        Record 1994-30 (Falfurrias, September 1993; just completed 
circulation and accepted as Mango sp. It was known to have had green 
visible in central stripe on one of the VHS tapes. On a motion by Sexton 
(second: Reid), the Committee unanimously (8-0) accepted the record as a 
Green-breasted Mango. 

 * Based on the above described identification and distribution 
information, the committee strongly feels that the possibility of any 
mango sp. occurring in Texas other than GBMA is virtually nil. Still, it 
will be up to the individual committee member to vote his/her best 
judgement in evaluating any individual record.

 The Committee thanked Arvin for his rigorous examination of this 
question.