The scientific name of Moltoni’s Warbler

 Moltoni’s Warbler has been known either as subalpine and moltonii. The latter name,

given by Orlando in 1937, has been in wide use, but as Baccetti et al. (2007) pointed out

subalpine is valid and has priority. The Temminck type specimen of subalpina is reputedly

long since lost due to insect damage (fide Baccetti et al. 2007), and requests to the Leiden and

Paris museums have not changed that.

The type was described (Temminck 1820b) as a female, but based on Temminck’s plate

(see below), its lead-grey upperparts, and prominent pink underparts, I conclude that the

specimen was a male. According to Temminck, the type had ‘a beautiful vinaceous color’

below. The adjective used (Fr. ‘vineuse’, vinaceous) is the same that Ridgway (1912) used

for such a pink, and because males of all other Subalpine Warbler populations possess

more orange-brown or reddish underparts it is probable that Temminck was struck by the

unusual and attractive pink of male Moltoni’s Warbler when he described subalpina. In his

Pl. 6, no. 2, a painting of subalpine shows an adult bird with lead-grey crown and mantle

typical of males, and pink, not orange-red, underparts. Temminck specifically states that

the bird in the said plate was the only known specimen, sent to Temminck by Bonelli,

making it the holotype by monotypy. There can be no doubt that Temminck’s plate refers

to this taxon, making subalpine the oldest available valid name, with priority over moltonii

Orlando, 1937.

That the type locality ‘near Turin’ could fit not only Moltoni’s Warbler but theoretically

also Eastern Subalpine Warbler is of subordinate importance given the existence of

Temminck’s plate and Temminck’s (1820b) statement that the plate depicted the unique

specimen. Furthermore, it clearly shows the characteristic tail pattern of Moltoni’s Warbler,

with the square white tips to the penultimate feathers excluding Eastern Subalpine Warbler.

Temminck published information on his Sylvia subalpina twice in 1820. First (Temminck

1820a) was the plate in August 1820, along with a wrapper giving the scientific name of

this and other taxa depicted in the six plates comprising this part of the Planches coloriées

of Temminck & Laugier, wherein Baron Laugier took no part in naming taxa (cf. Dickinson

2001). The second was a description in the Manuel d’ornithologie (Temminck 1820b), published in

October 1820 (see item 3681 in the Bibliographie de la France, issue no. 43, of 21 October 1820).

Interestingly, Temminck (1824) depicted a perfectly identifiable Eastern Subalpine

Warbler, presumably subspecies albistriata, in Pl. 251. The contrast between the dark rufousred

breast and white belly is striking. In the text, the bird is labelled as the male Sylvia

subalpina. The painting was based on a bird collected by a Mr Heckel in Silesia, Poland,

near the German border (if correct, obviously a spring overshoot since the usual breeding

range today runs south of the Alps east to south Bulgaria and western Turkey, and is not

thought to have been substantially different then). However, Pl. 251 appeared four years

later than Pl. 6 and does not depict the type of subalpina, which name must be linked to the

bird on Pl. 61.

Hummingbirds and Food Plants

 Hummingbirds and their food-plants rely to a large extent on each other for food supply and pollination service, respectively. This mutual relationship has co-evolved for millions of years and across the Americas involving over 330 hummingbird species and an estimated nearly 8000 plant species relying on hummingbirds as their principle pollinators.

Although birds other than hummingbirds also act as pollinators, hummingbird plant interactions are one of the most striking examples of bird-plant co-evolution, and the associated morphological adaptations have been studied intensively e.g, Snow.

 These studies have found that plants adapted to hummingbird pollination typically are odorless, have a long and narrow conspicuous orange-red tubular corolla, and produce extensive dilute nectar - broadly matching the sensory capabilities, morphology and energetic demands of hummingbirds. Similarly, hummingbirds show an array of features considered nectar-feeding adaptations, such as the capability to hover, a specialized tongue, highly specialized and variable bill morphologies, as well as a minute body size.

The smallest of all birds is the Bee Hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae) endemic to the Cuban archipelago, including the main island of Cuba and Isle of Youth (formerly Isle of Pines), in the West Indies. Of the 15 hummingbird species endemic to the West Indies, the Bee Hummingbird is the only species considered threatened on the IUCN red list.

Although the Bee Hummingbird is the smallest bird in the World, is categorized as Near Threatened and its population size is clearly declining, only very basic information regarding its distribution and reproduction has previously been reported. Almost nothing is known about its feeding ecology. For instance, apart from the record of some 15 food plants, nothing is reported about its preferred food plants or the overlap in flower use with the larger-sized Cuban Emerald (Chlorostilbon ricordii) - the only other resident Cuban hummingbird.

We here: 1) identify and describe the floral traits of several food plants the Bee Hummingbird uses; 2) report to what extent the Cuban Emerald uses the same flowers as the Bee Hummingbird; and 3) compare our data on flower use with those previously reported, and discuss how our results could direct future studies beneficial for the conservation of the Bee Hummingbird.

Each of the identified ten plant species visited by the Bee Hummingbird belongs to different plant families, of which one species (Antigonon leptopus) was introduced to Cuba. The remaining nine plant species are either native or endemic to Cuba (Table 1). Most of the ten flowers visited by the Bee Hummingbird - of which nine were also visited by the Cuban Emerald, as well as insects, such as bees and butterflies - have floral traits that fall outside the traditional ornithophilous syndrome, noticeably most flowers had little nectar and a short, white corolla, although some had more vivid colors.

This indicates that the Bee Hummingbird uses plants with generalized pollination systems as has also been reported for plants visited by small hummingbirds on Trinidad, Tobago, and other islands in the West Indies.

Conclusions. A total of 15 plant species from 15 different genera had previously been reported to be visited by the Bee Hummingbird, but no study had described their floral traits. Of the herein-reported ten food plants, only one species (Hamelia patens) occurs in the 15 genera previously listed as being visited by the Bee hummingbird. Many of the previously reported food plants in the Zapata Swamp were observed in March–June during the breeding season of the Bee Hummingbird, whereas the food plants we here report bloom in the latter part of July, outside the breeding season of the Bee Hummingbird.

In Cuba, the dry season extends from November to April, whereas the wettest months are from June to October (Garrido & Kirkconnell 2000). Therefore, it seems likely that the flower community largely changes between the dry and the rainy season, roughly coinciding with the termination of the Bee Hummingbirds breeding season.

This is the first step in identifying the floral niche of the Bee Hummingbird. We recommend that a quantitative field study be undertaken to evaluate the floral overlap in the context of floral use and availability, and behavioral interactions with the Cuban Emerald (Vaurie 1957) and insect-pollinators, such as the potential negative impact of the non-native honeybee (Apis mellifera). Comparing the herein reported food plants of the Bee Hummingbird with the plant species indicates that it would be essential to examine both dry season and rainy season floral overlap and behavior.

It would also be interesting to study the effect of introduced plants, forest loss, and degradation on the feeding behavior of the Bee Hummingbird. Finally, we recommend that field studies are also conducted in other areas than the Zapata Swamp, e.g., in the Bee Hummingbirds strongholds in the low-lying Guanahacabibes peninsula in western Cuba and in the eastern mountains of Cuchillas del Toa and Sierra Cristal. This should prove valuable for the conservation of the Bee hummingbird, an endemic and threatened species of the Cuban archipelago, West Indies. 

CURLY DOCK Rumex crispus

Curly-leaved dock, Yellow dock, Sour dock, Indian tobacco POLYGONACEAE

Buckwheat Family

SIZE = Plant: 2–4 feet, basal rosette is winter-hardy.

Flower: = 1/6 inch, in slender spikes. With 6 sepals, no petals.

LEAVES = 6–12 inches; with wavy, curled margins.

BLOOMS = March-May

At least fifteen Rumex species inhabit Texas and several ranges into the Houston area. While none has showy flowers, the docks are nevertheless conspicuous plants with interesting features. Curly dock, R. crispus, is the largest and most common of the local species. A native of Europe, this alien has become established in fields and disturbed ground throughout the United States. A stout perennial from a heavy taproot, it has a hardy rosette of leaves that remains green all winter, lining Houston roadsides even when other vegetation is withered and brown.

Curly dock is easily recognized by its long, slender leaves with crisped and wavy margins. The flowering stem reaches four feet, with tiny green flowers arranged on slender, branching spikes. There are six sepals in two ranks, but the flowers have no petals. Brown, heart-shaped, three-winged fruits fill the terminal spikes in late summer and fall.

While some authors regard curly dock as a “noxious weed,” natural-foods enthusiasts praise it as a rich source of vitamins A and C. Tull suggests using the young leaves as a substitute for spinach in salads or as cooked greens. Large doses, however, may cause gastric distress. Native Americans ground dock seeds and used the meal in bread, but Tull points out that removing the papery husks entails a great deal of work for a small amount of flour. Dormon also notes that the Chitimacha Indians of southern Louisiana used curly dock, which they called “deer’s-ears,” for dyeing their cane baskets.

Herbalists consider tea from the dried roots of the dock to be an excellent “blood purifier” and use it for a variety of skin diseases, rheumatism, liver ailments, and sore throats. It may either cause or relieve diarrhea, depending on the dosage, the season of the year, and the concentration of tannins and other chemicals in the plants.

Plain-tailed Warbling-finch

Plain-tailed Warbling-finch Poospiza alticola restricted to the high Andes of north-west Peru (Cajamarca to Ancash), this species inhabits shrubby forest and mixed Polylepis-Gynoxys woodland at 2,900-4,600 m. It seems to favor ravines, but it is scarce even in optimum habitat. High-altitude woodlands are now highly fragmented and further habitat loss and degradation are predicted. The main causes are cutting for firewood and a lack of regeneration due to burning and overgrazing. Other threats include the change from camelid to sheep and cattle farming, erosion and soil degradation caused by agricultural intensification, road construction, and afforestation with exotic tree species. Although it occurs in Huascarán National Park (Ancash), habitat degradation continues. The estimated population is around 500 to 1600 birds.