HUMMINGBIRD SPECIES

Coppery Thorntail 

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Discosura letitiae

The Coppery Thorntail also known as Letitia’s Thorntail is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is only known from two old male specimens from Bolivia (though localities for old skins often are unreliable, and it is possible they came from elsewhere).

It has been suggested that it represented a hybrid or a variant of the Racquet-Tailed Coquette, but a study has validated its status as a distinct species.

Enigmatic hummingbird known only from a few specimens taken somewhere in or near Bolivia in the 1850s. It has not been seen since and could possibly be extinct.

It is tiny with a short bill.

Males have a relatively long, forked tail, iridescent green crown and throat, and white rump stripe; plumage is otherwise bronzy-green.

Females are unknown but possibly duller with shorter tails.

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Its behavior and habitat are unknown, but likely similar to that of other thorntails. It has been suggested that it represented a hybrid or a variant of the Racquet-Tailed Coquette, but a study has validated its status as a distinct species.

SOURCES:
https://en.wikipedia.org
https://ebird.org
https://www.birdforum.net

1 comment

  • Hi gratefulgnome.com Owner, exact listed here: Link Text

    Joycelyn Osterhagen

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