Sooty Barbthroat
Encyclopedia
The Sooty Barbthroat is a hummingbird
species
in the family
Trochilidae.
It is found in French Guiana
and far north-eastern Brazil
. Its natural habitat
is humid tropical lowland forest
.
The taxonomy
and systematics
of the Sooty/Pale-tailed Barbthroat complex
has caused much confusion. Some authors consider the Sooty Barbthroat to be a melanistic variant of the Pale-tailed Barbthroat
(T. leucurus). As T. niger was described first, this scientific name is the valid name for both when they are considered conspecific.
On the other hand, the SACC for example considers T. niger and T. leucurus distinct species, because of insufficient published evidence for their being conspecific. This "combined" species is considered to be of Least Concern
by the IUCN.
In addition, some suggest that the Bronze-tailed Barbthroat (T. n. loehkeni) should also be considered a valid species and include the doubtful Christina's Barbthroat (T. n. christinae) as a subspecies. Freire's Sooty Barbthroat (T. n. freirei) is intermediate between the Sooty and Bronze-tailed Barbthroats however, and thus its status needs to be clarified before the situation is resolved.
Hummingbird
Hummingbirds are birds that comprise the family Trochilidae. They are among the smallest of birds, most species measuring in the 7.5–13 cm range. Indeed, the smallest extant bird species is a hummingbird, the 5-cm Bee Hummingbird. They can hover in mid-air by rapidly flapping their wings...
species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Trochilidae.
It is found in French Guiana
French Guiana
French Guiana is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department located on the northern Atlantic coast of South America. It has borders with two nations, Brazil to the east and south, and Suriname to the west...
and far north-eastern Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. Its natural habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
is humid tropical lowland forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
.
The taxonomy
Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...
and systematics
Systematics
Biological systematics is the study of the diversification of terrestrial life, both past and present, and the relationships among living things through time. Relationships are visualized as evolutionary trees...
of the Sooty/Pale-tailed Barbthroat complex
Species complex
A species complex is a group of closely related species, where the exact demarcation between species is often unclear or cryptic owing to their recent and usually still incomplete reproductive isolation. Ring species, superspecies and cryptic species complex are example of species complex...
has caused much confusion. Some authors consider the Sooty Barbthroat to be a melanistic variant of the Pale-tailed Barbthroat
Pale-tailed Barbthroat
The Pale-tailed Barbthroat is a species of hummingbird in the Trochilidae family.It is found in the Amazon Basin proper and bordering countries, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela....
(T. leucurus). As T. niger was described first, this scientific name is the valid name for both when they are considered conspecific.
On the other hand, the SACC for example considers T. niger and T. leucurus distinct species, because of insufficient published evidence for their being conspecific. This "combined" species is considered to be of Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern is an IUCN category assigned to extant taxon or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, Near Threatened, or Conservation Dependent...
by the IUCN.
In addition, some suggest that the Bronze-tailed Barbthroat (T. n. loehkeni) should also be considered a valid species and include the doubtful Christina's Barbthroat (T. n. christinae) as a subspecies. Freire's Sooty Barbthroat (T. n. freirei) is intermediate between the Sooty and Bronze-tailed Barbthroats however, and thus its status needs to be clarified before the situation is resolved.
External links
- Sooty Barbthroat rangemap
- Stamps: Threnetes niger (misnamed at site), RangeMap
- Sooty Barbthroat photo gallery VIREO