Biology:Discosura
Discosura is a genus of South and Central American hummingbirds in the family Trochilidae. The thorntails are sometimes placed in the genus Popelairia (Reichenbach, 1854), leaving Discosura for the racket-tipped thorntail. On the contrary, some have argued for merging this genus into Lophornis, which they overall resemble, except for the highly modified tail-feathers of the males.
Taxonomy
The genus Discosura was introduced in 1850 by the French naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte.[1] Bonaparte did not specify a type species but this was designated as the racket-tipped thorntail by George Robert Gray in 1855.[2][3] The genus name combines the Ancient Greek diskos meaning "plate" with oura meaning "tail".[4]
The genus contains five species.[5]
| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wire-crested thorntail
|
Discosura popelairii (Du Bus de Gisignies, 1846) |
Colombia, Ecuador and Peru
|
Size: Habitat: Diet: |
LC
|
| Black-bellied thorntail
|
Discosura langsdorffi (Temminck, 1821) Two subspecies
|
Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
|
Size: Habitat: Diet: |
LC
|
| Letitia's thorntail
|
Discosura letitiae (Bourcier & Mulsant, 1852) |
Probably Bolivia (only known from two old specimens of uncertain origin)
|
Size: Habitat: Diet: |
LC
|
| Green thorntail
|
Discosura conversii (Bourcier & Mulsant, 1846) |
Costa Rica to Ecuador
|
Size: Habitat: Diet: |
LC
|
| Racket-tipped thorntail
|
Discosura longicaudus (Gmelin, JF, 1788) |
Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and southern Venezuela
|
Size: Habitat: Diet: |
LC
|
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References
- ↑ Bonaparte, Charles Lucien (1850) (in Latin). Conspectus Generum Avium. 1. Leiden: E.J. Brill. p. 84. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/43560131.
- ↑ Gray, George Robert (1855). Catalogue of the Genera and Subgenera of Birds Contained in the British Museum. London: British Museum. p. 22. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/17136642.
- ↑ Peters, James Lee, ed (1945). Check-List of Birds of the World. 5. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 35. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/14480046.
- ↑ Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 137. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4. https://archive.org/stream/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling#page/n137/mode/1up.
- ↑ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds (August 2024). "Hummingbirds". IOC World Bird List Version 14.2. International Ornithologists' Union. http://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/hummingbirds/.
Wikidata ☰ Q906152 entry
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