Urosticte
Encyclopedia
Urosticte is a genus of hummingbird
in the Trochilidae family, which is restricted to humid forests growing on Andean slopes in north-western South America
. Their common name
, whitetips, refers to the conspicuous white tips on the central rectrices of the males. As the central rectrices are shorter than the outer, it appears as a large white spot on the central uppertail. Females, which have green-spotted white underparts, lack the white tips to the central rectrices, but instead have broad tips to the outer rectrices (white "tail-corners").
In this genus, the taxon
intermedia has been considered a distinct species, or alternatively an intermediate between U. benjamini and U. ruficrissa, leading to these being considered conspecific. At present, intermedia is considered a variant and junior synonym of ruficrissa, resulting in two monotypic
species being recognized:
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...
in the Trochilidae family, which is restricted to humid forests growing on Andean slopes in north-western South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. Their common name
Common name
A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...
, whitetips, refers to the conspicuous white tips on the central rectrices of the males. As the central rectrices are shorter than the outer, it appears as a large white spot on the central uppertail. Females, which have green-spotted white underparts, lack the white tips to the central rectrices, but instead have broad tips to the outer rectrices (white "tail-corners").
In this genus, the taxon
Taxon
|thumb|270px|[[African elephants]] form a widely-accepted taxon, the [[genus]] LoxodontaA taxon is a group of organisms, which a taxonomist adjudges to be a unit. Usually a taxon is given a name and a rank, although neither is a requirement...
intermedia has been considered a distinct species, or alternatively an intermediate between U. benjamini and U. ruficrissa, leading to these being considered conspecific. At present, intermedia is considered a variant and junior synonym of ruficrissa, resulting in two monotypic
Monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...
species being recognized:
Species
- Purple-bibbed WhitetipPurple-bibbed WhitetipThe Purple-bibbed Whitetip, Urosticte benjamini, is a species of hummingbird. It is found in the humid Chocó in Colombia and Ecuador....
(Urosticte benjamini). - Rufous-vented WhitetipRufous-vented WhitetipThe Rufous-vented Whitetip is a species of hummingbird in the Trochilidae family. It is found in Colombia and Ecuador.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.-References:...
(Urosticte ruficrissa).