Rufous-gaped Hillstar
Photo © Gary T. Leavens
Photo © Gary T. Leavens — CC BY-SA 4.0 — Source: iNaturalist #212270916The rufous-gaped hillstar (Urochroa bougueri), formerly included in the white-tailed hillstar, is a species of hummingbird in the "brilliants", tribe Heliantheini in subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Colombia and Ecuador. == Taxonomy == The rufous-gaped hillstar was formally described in 1851 by the French ornithologist Jules Bourcier based on a specimen that he had collected in Ecuador. He placed it in the genus Trochilus and coined the binomial name Trochilus bougueri. The species is now placed in the genus Urochroa that was introduced in 1856 by the English ornithologist John Gould. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek oura meaning "tail" with khroa meaning "colour" or "complexion". The specific epithet bougueri was chosen to honour the French mathematician Pierre Bouguer who had visited Peru in 1736–1742. The rufous-gaped hillstar and what is now the green-backed hillstar (Urochroa leucura) were once treated as a single species, the "white-tailed hillstar". They are the only two members of their genus. Although they share the name "hillstar" with the members of genus Oreotrochilus, they are quite different and not closely related. The rufous-gaped hillstar is monotypic. == Description == The rufous-gaped hillstar is 13 to 14 cm (5.1 to 5.5 in) long including…
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