Gorget (bird)
{{Short description|Patch of colored feathers on throat}}
File:Hummingbird.jpgs, the male Costa's hummingbird has an iridescent gorget.]]
A gorget ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɡ|ɔːr|dʒ|ᵻ|t}} {{respell|GOR|jit}}) is a patch of colored feathers found on the throat or upper breast of some species of birds.{{cite book |editor1-first=Bruce |editor1-last=Campbell |editor2-first=Elizabeth |editor2-last=Lack |title=A Dictionary of Birds |publisher=T & A D Poyser |location=Calton, Staffs, England |page=254 |isbn=0-85661-039-9 |year=1985}} It is a feature found on many male hummingbirds, particularly those found in North America; these gorgets are typically iridescent.{{cite book |first=Steve N. G. |last=Howell |title=Hummingbirds of North America: The Photographic Guide |year=2002 |publisher=Academic Press |isbn=0-12-356955-9 |page=1}} Other species, such as the purple-throated fruitcrow{{cite book |title=The Birds of South America: The suboscine passerines |first1=Robert S. |last1=Ridgely |first2=Guy |last2=Tudor |first3=William L. |last3=Brown |page=771 |year=1994 |location=Austin, TX |publisher=University of Texas Press |isbn=0-292-77063-4}} and chukar partridge, also show the feature.{{cite book |title=The Chukar Partridge: Its Introduction, Life History and Management |first=Glen C. |last=Christensen |page=33 |location=Reno, NV |publisher=Nevada Department of Fish and Game |year=1970}} The term is derived from the gorget used in military armor to protect the throat (which is called {{Wikt-lang|fro|gorge}} in French).
Feather wear and exposure to the sun can produce changes in the apparent color of iridescent gorget feathers. For example, fresh gorget feathers on the Anna's hummingbird are rose red; these fade to a coppery bronzy color with age.{{cite book |title=A Field Guide to the Hummingbirds of North America |first=Sheri |last=Williamson |page=30 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |location=New York |isbn=0-618-02496-4 |year=2001}}
Functions
A number of social functions have been suggested for the gorget. It may aid in mate attraction or in resource defense. It may signal social status or allow species to identify conspecifics.{{cite book |title=The Natural History Reader in Animal Behavior |url=https://archive.org/details/naturalhistoryre00beha |url-access=registration |editor-first=Howard R. |editor-last=Topoff |page=[https://archive.org/details/naturalhistoryre00beha/page/151 151] |publisher=Columbia University Press |location=New York |year=1987 |isbn=0-231-06159-5}} Among hummingbirds, gorgets are typically found only on males. In the rare instances where they are found on females, they appear to serve primarily for signaling threats.{{cite book |title=Birds of the High Andes |first=Jon |last=Fjeldså |year=1990 |publisher=Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen |location=Copenhagen |isbn=87-88757-16-1 |page=241}}
Young hummingbirds, which need to intrude on adult territories to feed once they have fledged, all lack gorgets. This may help to make them less visible or less threatening to adult birds.{{cite book |title=Current Ornithology, volume 6 |editor-first=Dennis M. |editor-last=Power |page=55 |isbn=978-0-306-43056-5 |year=1989 |publisher=Springer |location=New York}}