Eriocnemis · Lablypedia

In a nutshell

Eriocnemis is a genus of hummingbirds, which - together with the species in the genus Haplophaedia - are known as pufflegs. They occur in humid forest, woodland and shrub at elevations of 1000 to 4800 meters above sea level in the Andes of Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela. The males have a colourful green, coppery or blue plumage, and the females are generally somewhat duller. The most striking feature of both sexes in the genus Eriocnemis are their dense snow-white leg-puffs which consist of feather tufts that resemble woolly panties. One species, the black-thighed puffleg - is characterized by black coloured leg-puffs. Most have a contrasting blue, purple or coppery-red vent, but this is green in the black-thighed and emerald-bellied puffleg. Further common features of all species are the straight black bill and the slightly to deeply forked tail. The genus name was coined by the German naturalist Ludwig Reichenbach who called them Snowy panties.

Related on Lably

Through Extinction

While most members of this genus remain fairly common, three species (colorful puffleg, black-breasted puffleg and gorgeted puffleg) are critically endangered and one (the turquoise-throated puffleg) is possibly extinct.

Taxonomy

The genus Eriocnemis was introduced in 1849 by German naturalist Ludwig Reichenbach. Reichenbach provided a diagnostic drawing of the bill and another of the legs but did not list any species within the genus. The type species was defined in 1852 when John Gould published a colored plate with accompanying text where he placed his previously described species Eriopus simplex in the genus Eriocnemis. Gould's name is a junior synonym of Trochilus cuprioventris Fraser, the coppery-bellied puffleg. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek εριον/erion meaning "wool" with κνημις/knēmis, κνημιδος/knēmidos meaning "boot" or "legging".

One more chapter is free with a Lably account.

More in Animals

Monotypic taxonTaxonomic group with only one subordinate taxon Species descriptionFormal description of a discovered species ParaphylyType of taxonomic group IUCN Red ListInventory of the global conservation status of biological species SubtropicsGeographic and climate zone Common nameName generally used for a taxon, group of taxa or organism(s)