Semifinals, Poll 3
Purple Honeycreeper vs Bluethroat
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Purple Honeycreeper (Cyanerpes caeruleus)
Cyanerpes, from the Ancient Greek 'kuanos' meaning "dark-blue" and 'herpes' meaning "creeper"; caeruleus meaning "dark blue" in Latin
- eBird sightings: 29,552; IUCN Redlist Rating: Least Concern
Feeding on nectar is how this honeycreeper developed its bill shape- the bromeliad flowers it prefers are also shaped in this way. These small birds forage together in groups and are described as bold and inquisitive. They will often respond to the sight and sound of predators by mobbing, a behavior where multiple 'prey' animals surround a predator and try to annoy it away from the location.
Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica)
Luscinia could be translated as "little-seen songster"; svecica meaning "Swedish", in reference to the more orange-hued Swedish flag of the 17th and 18th century.
- eBird sightings: 109,758; IUCN Redlist Rating: Least Concern
Frequently discussed is this species sexual behaviors. While not unique in any way, they do show a high tendency for extra-pair copulations- when one or both members of a 'monogamous' mated pair breed with a different bird on the side. They've also been documented to be influenced by the effects of color bands on mate choice, especially blue and orange bands, likely because of their blue and orange breeding plumage.
