Data from: Male-like plumage in an urban nesting Veraguan mango: evidence of a female-limited polymorphism?
Data files
Aug 30, 2025 version files 387.84 MB
-
DSCN8818.MP4
387.84 MB
-
README.md
1.67 KB
Abstract
A first instance of parental care by a male-plumaged hummingbird from a sexually dimorphic species contributes important natural history understanding and helps illuminate the possibility of interesting female-limited polymorphisms across hummingbird species. Using photos and 2.5 min of video taken at close proximity, we documented a Veraguan mango (Anthracothorax veraguensis) with male plumage both incubating eggs and later feeding nestlings in the town of Palmar Norte in southern Costa Rica. Based on plumage characteristics and range, we rule out the similar green-breasted mango (A. prevostii) that occurs in close geographic proximity. On-ground exploration and Google Earth imagery revealed the landscape surrounding the nest as a heterogeneous mix of urban, residential, and agricultural land. Given our assumptions about the bird’s sex and age, we speculated on potential mechanisms for male-like plumage in adult female Veraguan mango (and related species in the Anthracothorax genus), including age-related plumage ontogeny and the interaction of social and ecological selection pressures. Our observation contributes valuable information to the natural history of the Veraguan mango and opens the possibility of a female-limited polymorphism in the species.
Male-like plumage in an urban nesting Veraguan mango: evidence of a female-limited polymorphism?
Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.jh9w0vtp7
Description of the data and file structure
With video, we documented a putative female Veraguan mango (Anthracothorax veraguensis) with male-like plumage providing parental care, including incubating eggs and feeding two juvenile birds, in a conspicuously placed nest in southern Costa Rica. The video has no dialogue.
Files and variables
File: DSCN8818.MP4
Description: With video, we documented a putative female Veraguan mango (Anthracothorax veraguensis) with male-like plumage providing parental care, including incubating eggs and feeding two juvenile birds, in a conspicuously placed nest in a small town in the Puntarenas province of Costa Rica (8° 57' 55.8"N, 83° 27' 42.5"W; 32 MSL).
We observed, photographed, and recorded videos of a putative female Veraguan mango with male plumage incubating eggs and feeding nestlings in February 2025. Our first observation on Feb 5, 2025 at 4:56 PM included 45 min of viewing the unattended nest with binoculars and a Nikon COOLPIX P950 camera from 10 m away and 5 min of viewing the adult mango perched on the rim of the nest and incubating the eggs (Fig. 1B-C). We did not see the adult tending to the nest structure or adding more materials.
We returned to view the nest on Feb 13, 2025 at 1:26 PM. We observed the nest from 10 m away using binoculars and a Nikon COOLPIX P950 camera.
Access information
Other publicly accessible locations of the data:
- None
Data was derived from the following sources:
- None