Metaltail Explained

The metaltails are a group of hummingbirds in the genus Metallura. The species are distributed along the Andes.^[1]

Taxonomy and species list

The genus Metallura was introduced by the English ornithologist John Gould in 1847.^[2] The type species was subsequently designated as the black metaltail.^{[3] [4]}

The genus contains nine species:^[5]

• Scaled metaltail (Metallura aeneocauda)
• Violet-throated metaltail (Metallura baroni)
• Fiery-throated metaltail (Metallura eupogon)
• Perija metaltail (Metallura iracunda)
• Neblina metaltail (Metallura odomae)
• Black metaltail (Metallura phoebe)
• Coppery metaltail (Metallura theresiae)
• Tyrian metaltail (Metallura tyrianthina)
• Viridian metaltail (Metallura williami)

Notes and References

1. Jaime García-Moreno, Peter Arctander and Jon Fjeldså . 1999 . Strong diversification at the treeline among Metallura hummingbirds . . 116 . 3 . 702–711 . 4089331 . 10.2307/4089331 .
2. Gould . John . John Gould . 1847 . Drafts for a new arrangement of the Trochilidae . Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London . Part 15 . 175 . 94–96 [94] .
3. Book: Gray, George Robert . George Robert Gray . 1855 . Catalogue of the Genera and Subgenera of Birds Contained in the British Museum . London . British Museum . 22 .
4. Book: Peters . James Lee . James L. Peters . 1945 . Check-List of Birds of the World . 5 . Harvard University Press . Cambridge, Massachusetts . 118 .
5. Web site: Gill . Frank . Frank Gill (ornithologist) . Donsker . David . Rasmussen . Pamela . Pamela Rasmussen . July 2020 . Hummingbirds . IOC World Bird List Version 10.2 . International Ornithologists' Union . 2 January 2020 .