Polioptila
Genus of birds
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Polioptila is a genus of small insectivorous birds in the family Polioptilidae. They are found in North and South America.
| Polioptila | |
|---|---|
| |
| California gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Polioptilidae |
| Genus: | Polioptila Sclater, PL, 1855 |
| Type species | |
| Motacilla caerulea[1] Linnaeus, 1766 | |
The genus Polioptila was introduced by the English zoologist Philip Sclater in 1855. Although he listed several members, he did not specify a type species.[2] This was designated by the American ornithologist Spencer Baird in 1864 as Montacilla caerulea, Linnaeus, now the blue-grey gnatcatcher, Polioptila caerulea.[3][4] The name of the genus combines the Ancient Greek words πολιος polios "grey" and πτιλον ptilon "plumage".[5]
The genus contains 16 species:[6]
| Image | Common name | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| - | Guianan gnatcatcher | Polioptila guianensis | Guiana Shield |
.jpg) | Slate-throated gnatcatcher | Polioptila schistaceigula | Chocó–Magdalena |
| - | Para gnatcatcher | Polioptila paraensis | southern Amazonia |
| - | Iquitos gnatcatcher | Polioptila clementsi | Allpahuayo-Mishana National Reserve (Peru) |
 | Marañón gnatcatcher | Polioptila maior | Marañón valley |
_(14025669604).jpg) | Tropical gnatcatcher | Polioptila plumbea | Central and northern South America |
 | Creamy-bellied gnatcatcher | Polioptila lactea | southern Atlantic Forest |
 | Masked gnatcatcher | Polioptila dumicola | central/eastern South America |
 | Cuban gnatcatcher | Polioptila lembeyei | coastal Cuba |
 | Yucatan gnatcatcher | Polioptila albiventris | northern Yucatán Peninsula |
.jpg) | White-browed gnatcatcher | Polioptila bilineata | southern Mexico to central Peru |
.jpg) | Blue-grey gnatcatcher | Polioptila caerulea | central/southern North America |
_(16875128691).jpg) | Black-tailed gnatcatcher | Polioptila melanura | deserts of southwestern US and northern Mexico |
.jpg) | California gnatcatcher | Polioptila californica | Baja California peninsula |
_(16688757420).jpg) | Black-capped gnatcatcher | Polioptila nigriceps | western Mexico |
.jpg) | White-lored gnatcatcher | Polioptila albiloris | southwestern Mexico and Central America |