Resumen

CASTRO-TORREBLANCA, Marisol  y  BLANCAS-CALVA, Epifanio. The Dusky Hummingbird (Phaeoptila sordida) trapped in the web of the Golden Silk Spider (Trichonephila clavipes) in Chilpancingo, Guerrero, Mexico. Huitzil [online]. 2025, vol.26, n.1, e684.  Epub 01-Dic-2025. ISSN 1870-7459.  https://doi.org/10.28947/hrmo.2025.26.1.830.

Hummingbirds are a group of small birds endemic to the Americas and are the most frequently reported birds trapped in spider webs. Here, we document the case of a Dusky Hummingbird (Phaeoptila sordida) trapped in the web of a Golden Silk Spider (Trichonephila clavipes), in an urban area of Chilpancingo, Guerrero, Mexico. On 13 October 2023, we observed a female P. sordida hanging head-down in a web located in a clearing within the foliage of a mango tree (Mangifera indica). The hummingbird attempted to free itself by energetic flapping, without success, while the spider remained motionless, not approaching the hummingbird. Upon returning two days later, we found no evidence that the hummingbird had remained trapped. This event represents the first record of the Dusky Hummingbird caught in a spider web, increasing the number of small birds species ensnared in spider webs, which may constitute an important factor in the life history of small birds.

Palabras llave : arachnids; Araneae; mortality risks; Nephila; Trochilidae; urban birds.

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