biology

Long-tailed woodnymph

Long-tailed woodnymph is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Long-tailed woodnymph rather than just read about it. In short: The long-tailed woodnymph (Thalurania watertonii) is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is found in humid forest in northeastern Brazil, where it is known from the states of Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe and the northernmost Bahia.

Key takeaways

Long-tailed woodnymph belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Long-tailed woodnymph to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Long-tailed woodnymph from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The long-tailed woodnymph (Thalurania watertonii) is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is found in humid forest in northeastern Brazil, where it is known from the states of Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe and the northernmost Bahia. It is usually thought to be widespread, but seen at low density in its increasingly fragmented range. Its population is estimated to be around 1,000–2,500 individuals, currently in decline due to deforestation and habitat loss.

Description The long-tailed woodnymph is sexually dimorphic. The males are heavier, with significantly larger wings and tails, whereas the females have longer bills. Males are approximately 11.8–13 centimetres (4.6–5.1 in) long, including a tail of 6 centimetres (2.4 in) cm; while females measure roughly 10–11 centimetres (3.9–4.3 in) in length, with a tail of 3.6 centimetres (1.4 in). Individuals have a weight of 3.7–5.2 g. Males have a conspicuous iridescent plumage in blue, green and purple. The crown and neck are bronze-green, back is iridescent violet-blue, shining grass-green undersides and violet-blue flanks; Its long, deeply-forked tail is blue. Female plumage is much more faint, allowing them to stay unnoticeable as they build nests and care for their young, and a shorter, slightly forked white-tipped tail with a blue subterminal band and a pair of blue-green rectrices. Juveniles are similar to adult females.

Distribution and habitat This species is restricted to the Brazilian states of Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe and apparently to northern Bahia, though there are no recent records. The species is thought to be found only in the Atlantic Forest. Reports from eastern Pará are possibly inaccurate, and there is one specimen which was attributed to Guyana, although its true origin is unknown. The long-tailed woodnymph inhabits coastal lowland habitats such as coastal rainforest, cerrado, plantations and parks throughout its Atlantic forest range, from sea-level to 550 metres (1,800 ft). It forages at low to medium heights, generally at the periphery of vegetation.

Ecology and behavior The long-tailed woodnymph feeds on the nectar of flowering vines, cacti, epiphytes, trees and bushes, occasionally foraging on invertebrates captured in the air. Male establishes feeding territories, which are aggressively defended against intraspecific and interspecific intruders. Breeding takes place between November and February. The woodnymph builds a cup-shaped nest made of fine rootlets and moss, tightly tied together by a spider's web. The nest is attached to a horizontal branch in a shrub or small tree, usually protected by overhanging leaves, 1.5–2.5 metres (4.9–8.2 ft) above the ground. The female typically lays two eggs, with an incubation period of 14–15 days, often carried by the female.

Conservation status Thalurania watertonii is listed as endangered by the IUCN Red List, due to the ongoing reduction of its populations, mainly due to the extensive and continuing loss of habitat and the depletion of lowland forests in north-eastern Brazil. Its occupation area is currently less than 500 km2. The population is severely fragmented, with the total population estimated to be less than 2,500 individuals, and each subpopulation contains less than 250 of them.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Long-tailed woodnymph

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Long-tailed woodnymph claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Long-tailed woodnymph before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Long-tailed woodnymph ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Long-tailed woodnymph

In research: Long-tailed woodnymph appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Long-tailed woodnymph in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Long-tailed woodnymph is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Birds described in 1847, Birds of the Atlantic Forest, Endangered animals, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Long-tailed woodnymph outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Long-tailed woodnymph in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Long-tailed woodnymph means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Long-tailed woodnymph out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Long-tailed woodnymph in simple terms?

Why does Long-tailed woodnymph matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Long-tailed woodnymph?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Long-tailed woodnymph.