Gorgeous sunbird

Gorgeous sunbird
In Tanzania
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Nectariniidae
Genus: Cinnyris
Species:
C. melanogastrus
Binomial name
Cinnyris melanogastrus

The gorgeous sunbird (Cinnyris melanogastrus) is a small passerine bird in the sunbird family Nectariniidae that is found in southern Kenya and Tanzania. It was formerly considered to be conspecific with the beautiful sunbird.

Taxonomy

The gorgeous sunbird was formally described in 1884 by the German explorer Gustav Fischer and ornithologist Anton Reichenow based on a specimen collected near the Nguruman Escarpment in southern Kenya. They coined the binomial name Nectarinia melanogastra.[2][3] The specific epithet combines the Ancient Greek μελας/melas meaning "black" and γαστηρ/gastēr meaning "belly".[4] The gorgeous sunbird is now one of 64 sunbirds placed in the genus Cinnyris that was introduced in 1816 by the French naturalist Georges Cuvier.[5] It was formerly considered to be conspecific with the beautiful sunbird (Cinnyris pulchellus). The species were split based on the differences in morphology. The gorgeous sunbird is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.[5]

References

  1. ^ BirdLife International (2024). "Cinnyris melanogastrus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2024: e.T103800445A263800024. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
  2. ^ Fischer, Gustav; Reichenow, Anton (1884). "Neue Vogelarten aus dem Massailand (Inneres Ostafrika)". Journal für Ornithologie (in German). 32 (165): 178-182 [181].
  3. ^ Paynter, Raymond A. Jr, ed. (1986). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 12. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 266.
  4. ^ Jobling, James A. "melanogastrus". The Key to Scientific Names. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
  5. ^ a b Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (August 2024). "Dippers, leafbirds, flowerpeckers, sunbirds". IOC World Bird List Version 14.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 28 December 2024.


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