Hummingbirds (Trochilidae)

Amethyst Woodstar (Calliphlox amethystina) - HBW 5, p. 668

French: Colibri améthyste German: Amethyststernkolibri Spanish: Colibrí Amatista

Taxonomy: Trochilus amethystinus Boddaert, 1783, Cayenne.
Occasionally treated as sole member of present genus; at the other extreme, genus considered to include all species of currently recognized genera Tilmatura, Doricha, Microstilbon, Calothorax and sometimes also Thaumastura, on grounds that females are very similar, males differing essentially in specialized details of plumage. Form “C. orthura” (Cayenne) may represent immature male of present species. Monotypic.

Distribution: E Colombia, S Venezuela and the Guianas through E Ecuador, NE Peru, N Bolivia and most of Brazil to Paraguay and NE Argentina (Misiones).