Diglossa_(bird)

Flowerpiercer

Flowerpiercer

Genus of birds

Diglossa is a genus in the family Thraupidae. They are commonly known as flowerpiercers because of their habit of piercing the base of flowers to access nectar that otherwise would be out of reach. This is done with their highly modified bill, which is typically upswept, with a hook at the tip. Most members of the genus Diglossa are found in highlands of South America (especially the Andes), but two species are found in Central America.

Rusty flowerpiercer, female, piercing the base of an Abutilon flower to access the nectar inside.

Quick Facts Diglossa, Scientific classification ...

Taxonomy and species list

The genus Diglossa was introduced by the German naturalist Johann Georg Wagler in 1832 with the cinnamon-bellied flowerpiercer (Diglossa baritula) as the type species.[1][2] The genus name is from the Ancient Greek diglōssos meaning "double-tongued" or "speaking two languages".[3] The genus now includes 18 species.[4]

References

  1. [1]
    Wagler, Johann Georg (1832). "Mittheilungen über einige merkwürdige Thiere". Isis von Oken (in German). cols 275–282 [280–281].
  2. [2]
    Paynter, Raymond A. Jr, ed. (1970). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 13. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 399.
  3. [3]
    Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 136. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
  4. [4]
    Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (July 2020). "Tanagers and allies". IOC World Bird List Version 10.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 16 October 2020.

Further reading


Stub icon

This article about a tanager is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Diglossa_(bird), and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.