Eriocnemis

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Eriocnemis
Sapphire-Vented Puffleg (Eriocnemis luciani).jpg
Eriocnemis luciani
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Clade: Strisores
Order: Apodiformes
Family: Trochilidae
Tribe: Heliantheini
Genus: Eriocnemis
Reichenbach, 1849
Type species
Eriopus simplex [1]
Gould, 1849
Species

see text.

Eriocnemis is a genus of hummingbirds, which - together with the species in the genus Haplophaedia - are known as pufflegs. They occur in humid forest, woodland and shrub at altitudes of 1000 to 4800 m. asl in the Andes of Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela. The males have a colourful green, coppery or blue plumage, and the females are generally somewhat duller. The most striking feature of both sexes in the genus Eriocnemis are their dense snow-white leg-puffs which consist of feather tufts that resemble woolly panties. One species, the black-thighed puffleg - is characterized by black coloured leg-puffs. Most have a contrasting blue, purple or coppery-red vent, but this is green in the black-thighed and emerald-bellied puffleg. Further common features of all species are the straight black bill and the slightly to deeply forked tail. The genus name was coined by the German naturalist Ludwig Reichenbach who called them Snowy panties.

While most members of this genus remain fairly common, three species (colorful puffleg, black-breasted puffleg and gorgeted puffleg) are critically endangered and one (the turquoise-throated puffleg) is possibly extinct.

Species

The genus contains 11 species: [2]

In addition there were the controversial species: Eriocnemis söderströmi, E. isaacsoni and E. dyselius which were each only known by one specimen. In the case of E. söderströmi it could have been either the female of E. godini or a hybrid between E. luciani and E. nigrivestris. E. dyselius was nothing more than a melanistic individual of E. cupreoventris. Today these species are considered invalid.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turquoise-throated puffleg</span> Species of bird

The turquoise-throated puffleg, also known as Godin's puffleg, is a species of hummingbird from Ecuador. It is mostly green with blue undertail coverts and white powder-puffs of downy feathers on the legs, and the male has a bluish-purple throat patch. It is only known from a few specimens taken in the nineteenth century and its taxonomic position is unclear. The type of habitat in which the type species was obtained has largely disappeared, and recent surveys trying to find this bird have failed. The International Union for Conservation of Nature believes it may be extinct, but there is a possibility that some individuals remain, so the bird has been rated as "critically endangered".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puffleg</span> Hummingbird

The pufflegs are hummingbirds from the genera Eriocnemis and Haplophaedia. They occur in humid forest, woodland and shrub at altitudes of 1000 to 4800 m. asl in the Andes of Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela. The males have a colorful green, coppery or blue plumage, and the females are generally somewhat duller. The most striking feature of both sexes is their dense snow-white leg puffs which consist of feather tufts that resemble woolly panties. One species - the black-thighed puffleg - is characterized by black coloured leg puffs, and another - the buff-thighed puffleg - has lightly buff-tinged leg puffs. Further common features of all species are the straight black bill and the slightly to deeply forked tail. The members of the genus Haplophaedia are generally duller than the members of Eriocnemis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-breasted puffleg</span> Species of bird

The black-breasted puffleg is a species of hummingbird native to Ecuador. It is Critically Endangered, with no more than 250 individuals remaining in the wild.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colorful puffleg</span> Species of hummingbird

The colorful puffleg is an Endangered species of hummingbird in the "brilliants", tribe Heliantheini in subfamily Lesbiinae. It is endemic to Colombia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gorgeted puffleg</span> Species of hummingbird

The gorgeted puffleg is a Critically Endangered species of hummingbird in the "brilliants", tribe Heliantheini in subfamily Lesbiinae. It is endemic to Colombia. It was discovered in 2005 and confirmed as a species new to science in 2007.

<i>Chlorostilbon</i> Genus of birds

Chlorostilbon is a genus of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae, known as emeralds. A single species, the blue-chinned sapphire is variously placed in the monotypic genus Chlorestes or in Chlorostilbon. The taxonomy of the C. mellisugus superspecies is highly complex and, depending on view, includes 1-8 species. All species in this genus have straight black or black-and-red bills. The males are overall iridescent green, golden-green or bluish-green, and in some species the tail and/or throat is blue. The females have whitish-grey underparts, tail-corners and post-ocular streak.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emerald-bellied puffleg</span> Species of hummingbird

The emerald-bellied puffleg is a species of hummingbird in the "brilliants", tribe Heliantheini in the subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coppery-bellied puffleg</span> Species of hummingbird

The coppery-bellied puffleg is a species of hummingbird in the "brilliants", tribe Heliantheini in subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Colombia and Venezuela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-thighed puffleg</span> Species of hummingbird

The black-thighed puffleg is a species of hummingbird in the "brilliants", tribe Heliantheini in subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Colombia and Ecuador.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue-capped puffleg</span> Species of hummingbird

The blue-capped puffleg is a species of hummingbird in the "brilliants", tribe Heliantheini in subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Argentina and Bolivia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sapphire-vented puffleg</span> Species of hummingbird

The sapphire-vented puffleg is a species of hummingbird in the "brilliants", tribe Heliantheini in subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and possibly Venezuela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden-breasted puffleg</span> Species of hummingbird

The golden-breasted puffleg is a species of hummingbird in the "brilliants", tribe Heliantheini in subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Colombia and Ecuador.

<i>Haplophaedia</i> Genus of birds

Haplophaedia is a small genus of hummingbirds, which – together with the members of the genus Eriocnemis – are known as pufflegs. They are found at low levels in humid forest, woodland and shrub at 1200 to 3100 m altitudes. asl in the Andes of Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia. All species have a straight black bill, a coppery-green plumage, and a slightly forked dark blue tail. The leg-puffs are white in the greenish and hoary pufflegs, and buff-tinged in the buff-thighed puffleg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greenish puffleg</span> Species of hummingbird

The greenish puffleg is a species of hummingbird in the "brilliants", tribe Heliantheini in subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, and Peru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fauna of Colombia</span>

The fauna of Colombia is characterized by a high biodiversity, with the highest rate of species by area unit worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coppery-naped puffleg</span> Subspecies of bird

The coppery-naped puffleg is a subspecies of hummingbird found in the Andes in Peru in wet montane forest edges between 2000 and 4000 m altitude. It is usually considered a subspecies of the sapphire-vented puffleg, Eriocnemis luciani.

References

  1. "Trochilidae". aviansystematics.org. The Trust for Avian Systematics. Retrieved 2023-08-05.
  2. Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (July 2020). "Hummingbirds". IOC World Bird List Version 10.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 2 January 2020.