Streamertail

The streamertails are hummingbirds in the genus Trochilus, that are endemic to Jamaica. It is the type genus of the family Trochilidae. Today most authorities consider the two taxa in this genus as separate species, but some (e.g. AOU) continue to treat them as conspecific, in which case scitulus is a subspecies of T. polytmus. A wide range of common names apply to this combined species, including green-and-black streamertail, Jamaican streamertail or simply streamertail. The name streamertail is a reference to the greatly elongated rectrices of the males.

Streamertail
Adult male
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Apodiformes
Family: Trochilidae
Tribe: Trochilini
Genus: Trochilus
Linnaeus, 1758
Type species
Trochilus polytmus
Linnaeus, 1758
Species

1-2, see text

Taxonomy and species list

The genus Trochilus was introduced in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae. Linnaeus included 18 species of hummingbird all of which were placed in Trochilus. Today 12 of his species are still recognised, but only the red-billed streamertail is retained in this genus.[1] The type species was subsequently designated as the red-billed streamertail.[2][3] The genus contains two species.[4]

ImageScientific nameCommon NameDistribution
Trochilus polytmusRed-billed streamertailJamaica
Trochilus scitulusBlack-billed streamertaileastern Jamaica

References

  1. Linnaeus, Carl (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis (in Latin). Volume 1 (10th ed.). Holmiae (Stockholm): Laurentii Salvii. p. 119.
  2. Peters, James Lee, ed. (1945). Check-List of Birds of the World. Volume 5. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 56.
  3. Gray, George Robert (1840). A List of the Genera of Birds : with an Indication of the Typical Species of Each Genus. London: R. and J.E. Taylor. p. 14.
  4. Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (July 2020). "Hummingbirds". IOC World Bird List Version 10.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  • Schuchmann, K. L. (1999). Genus Trochilus. Pp. 572 in: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., & Sargatal, K. eds. (1999). Handbook of the Birds of the World.. Vol. 5. Barn-owls to Hummingbirds. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. ISBN 84-87334-25-3


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