Heliothryx
Genus of birds
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Heliothryx is a genus of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. The genus is assigned to the subfamily Polytminae which is sometimes referred to by the informal name "mangoes".
| Heliothryx | |
|---|---|
| |
| Purple-crowned fairy (Heliothryx barroti) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Clade: | Strisores |
| Order: | Apodiformes |
| Family: | Trochilidae |
| Subfamily: | Polytminae |
| Genus: | Heliothryx F. Boie, 1831 |
| Type species | |
| Trochilus auritus (black-eared fairy) Gmelin, JF, 1788 | |
| Species | |
|
2, see text | |
Taxonomy
The genus Heliothryx was introduced in 1831 by the German zoologist Friedrich Boie.[1] Boie did not specify the type species but this was designated as the black-eared fairy by George Robert Gray in 1840.[2][3] The genus name combines the Ancient Greek hēlios meaning "sun" with thrix meaning "hair".[4]
The genus contains the following two species:[5]
Physical Description and Habitat
Heliothryx hummingbirds are vibrant, medium-sized birds of tropical lowlands, favoring forest edges, clearings, and gardens. They have emerald-green upperparts, snow-white underparts, and white tail feathers, with sharp black bills perfectly designed to extract nectar. Males have a purple crown, absent in females, who have longer tails.[6]
| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black-eared fairy
|
Heliothryx auritus (Gmelin, JF, 1788) Three subspecies |
Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela |
Size: Habitat: Diet: |
LC
|
| Purple-crowned fairy
|
Heliothryx barroti (Bourcier, 1843) |
southeastern Mexico south to southwestern Ecuador. |
Size: Habitat: Diet: |
LC
|
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