Plain-capped Starthroat, Heliomaster constantii

Plain-capped Starthroat, Heliomaster constantii. Photograph taken within a residential community in Alamos, Sonora, March 2018. Photograph and identification courtesy of David F Smith, Alamos, Sonora.

Plain-capped Starthroat, Heliomaster constantii. Photographs taken within a residential community in Hereford, Arizona, August 2012, July 2012, and July 2019. Photographs and identification courtesy of Bob Behrstock, Hereford, Arizona (naturewideimages.com).

The Plain-capped Starthroat, Heliomaster constanti pinicolai, is one of three subspecies of Plain-capped Starthroat, each of which are found in Mexico. They are a member of the Trochilidae Family of Hummingbirds, that has three hundred fifty-two members placed in one hundred thirteen genera, and one of four global species of the Colaptes Genus. They are known in Mexico as colibrí pochotero.

The Plain-capped Starthroat are medium-large in stature. The males and females being similar in appearance. They are fairly drab in color having a white stripe below and behind the eye, a pinkish or orangish red throat and a white stripe on the rump. They have a long, straight bill and a short tail.

In Mexico they are found within coastal regions along the Pacific Slope from Sonora south to Guatemala. The pinicola subspecies is found in Mexico along the Pacific Slope from Sonora through Jalisco; the leocadiae subspecies is found in Southern and Southwest Mexico; and, the constantii subspecies is found on the Pacific Slope of El Salvador to Costa Rica. The northern populations migrate to warm locations for the winter; the southern populations are non-migratory being year-round residents but are known to make local migrations throughout the year following seasonal blooms of trees and shrubs.

The Plain-capped Starthroat are found in an around the boarders of arid or semiarid forests, in thorn forests, coffee plantations and partially open areas with scattered vegetation at elevations up to 1,500 m (4,900 feet). They are only able to move via flight as their legs are unable to support their body weight. They consume a wide variety of floral nectars and limited amounts of small insects. The Plain-capped Starthroat are normally found as solitary individuals and known for their aggressive behavior. They are poorly studied and very little about their biology and behavioral patterns has been documented.

From a conservation perspective the Plain-capped Starthroat is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations.