Hummingbirds (Trochilidae)
Fork-tailed Woodnymph (Thalurania furcata) - HBW 5, p. 586
French: Dryade à queue fourchue
German: Schwalbennymphe
Spanish: Zafiro Golondrina
Other common names: Princess/Common/Cayenne Woodnymph
Taxonomy: Trochilus furcatus J. F. Gmelin, 1788, Cayenne.
Forms a superspecies with T. ridgwayi, T. colombica and T. fannyi; species limits unclear, and all four have been considered conspecific. Alternatively, mostly dull-crowned and more green-backed forms are sometimes separated in present species from the other three lumped as another species with glittering crowns and more violet on back. Of the races currently recognized, most are based on variations in coloration of adult male, and several doubtfully valid. Races baeri and eriphile, with glittering green frontlets, were in past separated as T. eriphile.. View all taxonomy...
Forms a superspecies with T. ridgwayi, T. colombica and T. fannyi; species limits unclear, and all four have been considered conspecific. Alternatively, mostly dull-crowned and more green-backed forms are sometimes separated in present species from the other three lumped as another species with glittering crowns and more violet on back. Of the races currently recognized, most are based on variations in coloration of adult male, and several doubtfully valid. Races baeri and eriphile, with glittering green frontlets, were in past separated as T. eriphile, but former intergrades with adjacent dull-crowned races in Brazil, indicating potential pitfalls of attributing taxonomic significance to this feature. Race jelskii represents zone of intergradation of viridipectus, simoni and boliviana; furcatoides intergrades with balzani and baeri where their ranges meet in NC & C Brazil. “Thalurania lerchi”, known from Bogotá trade skins, is apparently a hybrid between present species and Chrysuronia oenone; “Eucephala scapulata”, known from single specimen from French Guiana, is probably a hybrid of present species with Chlorostilbon notatus. Name tschudii should perhaps replace jelskii; if so, jelskii may be correct name for current race boliviana. Proposed race taczanowskii (NE Peru) not reliably separable from viridipectus. Thirteen subspecies recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution:
- refulgens Gould, 1853 - NE Venezuela; erroneously reported from Trinidad.
- furcata (J. F. Gmelin, 1788) - extreme E Venezuela, the Guianas and NE Brazil (N of Amazon).
- fissilis Berlepsch & Hartert, 1902 - E Venezuela and adjacent extreme W Guyana and NE Brazil.
- refulgens Gould, 1853 - NE Venezuela; erroneously reported from Trinidad.
- furcata (J. F. Gmelin, 1788) - extreme E Venezuela, the Guianas and NE Brazil (N of Amazon).
- fissilis Berlepsch & Hartert, 1902 - E Venezuela and adjacent extreme W Guyana and NE Brazil.
- orenocensis Hellmayr, 1921 - upper Orinoco region of S Venezuela.
- nigrofasciata (Gould, 1846) - SE Colombia, NW Brazil (upper R Negro) and extreme S Venezuela.
- viridipectus Gould, 1848 - E foothills of Andes and adjacent lowlands of E Colombia, E Ecuador and NE Peru.
- jelskii Taczanowski, 1860 - most of E Peru and adjacent Brazil.
- simoni Hellmayr, 1906 - upper Amazon region (S of Amazon) in extreme E Peru and W Brazil.
- balzani Simon, 1896 - NC Brazil (S of Amazon).
- furcatoides Gould, 1861 - lower Amazon region of E Brazil (S of Amazon).
- boliviana Boucard, 1894 - Andean foothills and adjacent lowlands of SE Peru and NE Bolivia.
- baeri Hellmayr, 1907 - NE & C Brazil to SE Bolivia and NW & NC Argentina.
- eriphile (Lesson, 1832) - SE Brazil, adjacent Paraguay and NE Argentina (Misiones).
- Least Concern Enlarge map
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A moulting male perched on a branch, yawning and flying away. Locality Floresta Nacional de Carajás, Pará State, Brazil (ssp furcatoides)
Josep del Hoyo 12 August 2011 4 weeks ago 19 sec 4.7 -
A close view of a female extracting nectar from some flowers. Locality Babunhol, Brokopondo District, Suriname (ssp furcata)
Pieter de Groot Boersma 20 March 2011 40 weeks ago 22 sec 4.7 -
A percehd female with remains of pollen on the beak, protruding the tongue Locality Shiripuno River, Pastaza Province, Ecuador (ssp viridipectus)
Josep del Hoyo 26 August 2007 4 years ago 42 sec 4.7 -
A female on a vine, looking around and flying away Locality Shiripuno River, Pastaza Province, Ecuador (ssp viridipectus)
Josep del Hoyo 26 August 2007 4 years ago 38 sec 4.7 -
A male perched on a branch, preening and flying away Locality Amazonia Lodge, Kosñipata Valley, Manu Biosphere Reserve, Madre de Dios Department, Peru (ssp boliviana)
Josep del Hoyo 4 August 2005 6 years ago 30 sec 4.7 -
Several males feeding on verbain flowers Locality Amazonia Lodge, Kosñipata Valley, Manu Biosphere Reserve, Madre de Dios Department, Peru (ssp boliviana)
Josep del Hoyo 4 August 2005 6 years ago 31 sec 4.6
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A male perched on a twig
Locality Barquilla de Fresa, Las Claritas, Bolívar State, Venezuela
Dilia E. Garcia 24 July 2008 3 years ago 4.4 -
On a branch
Locality Wildsumaco Lodge, Napo Province, Ecuador
Guy Poisson 30 October 2011 27 weeks ago 4.3 -
On a branch
Locality Wildsumaco Lodge, Napo Province, Ecuador
Guy Poisson 30 October 2011 27 weeks ago 4.3 -
A moulting male perched on a branch.
Locality Floresta Nacional de Carajás, Pará State, Brazil (ssp furcatoides)
Josep del Hoyo 12 August 2011 4 weeks ago 3.7 -
Fork-tailed Woodnymph, male.
Locality Serra da Canastra, Minas Gerais State, Brazil
Luiz Carlos da Costa Ribe... 18 August 2011 37 weeks ago 3.7 -
A female perched on a branch.
Locality Cristalino Jungle Lodge, Mato Grosso State, Brazil (ssp baeri)
Carmelo López 18 November 2011 15 weeks ago 3.6
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Male visiting flowers. Locality Serra de Baturité, Ceará State, Brazil
(ssp baeri)
Ciro Albano 3 April 2006 2 years ago 4
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