Tanagers (Thraupidae)

Red-legged Honeycreeper (Cyanerpes cyaneus) - HBW 16, p. 252

French: Guit-guit saï German: Türkisnaschvogel Spanish: Mielerito Patirrojo
Other common names: Blue Honeycreeper

Taxonomy: Certhia cyanea Linnaeus, 1766, Suriname.
This genus and Dacnis were previously regarded as members of a separate family, Coerebidae, but later placed in present family on basis of similarities in skull anatomy; molecular phylogenies indicate that the two genera are sisters and form a monophyletic group with Tersina. Possible species status of race holti may merit investigation because of its geographical isolation. Geographical variation slight, and some races may not warrant recognition; proposed race ramdseni (described from Cuba, where probably introduced), subsumed into nominate. Eleven subspecies tent.. View all taxonomy...

Subspecies and Distribution:

carneipes (P. L. Sclater, 1860) - SE Mexico (from San Luis Potosí on Gulf slope and Oaxaca on Pacific slope) S, including Cozumel I (off NE Quintana Roo) to Panama, including Coiba I and Pearl Is, and NW Colombia (upper Sinú Valley, at N end of W Andes, in Córdoba).
gemmeus Wetmore, 1941 - Serranía de Macuira (Guajira Peninsula), in N Colombia.
eximius (Cabanis, 1851) - N Colombia (Santa Marta region, Sierra de Perijá, and W slope of E Andes in Santander) and W & N Venezuela (W Zulia, base of both slopes of Andes, mountains of N Falcón and Yaracuy, and coastal cordillera from Carabobo E to Sucre); also Margarita I.

See all 11 subspecies

carneipes (P. L. Sclater, 1860) - SE Mexico (from San Luis Potosí on Gulf slope and Oaxaca on Pacific slope) S, including Cozumel I (off NE Quintana Roo) to Panama, including Coiba I and Pearl Is, and NW Colombia (upper Sinú Valley, at N end of W Andes, in Córdoba).
gemmeus Wetmore, 1941 - Serranía de Macuira (Guajira Peninsula), in N Colombia.
eximius (Cabanis, 1851) - N Colombia (Santa Marta region, Sierra de Perijá, and W slope of E Andes in Santander) and W & N Venezuela (W Zulia, base of both slopes of Andes, mountains of N Falcón and Yaracuy, and coastal cordillera from Carabobo E to Sucre); also Margarita I.
cyaneus (Linnaeus, 1766) - E Venezuela (Monagas, Delta Amacuro and Bolívar E of R Caura); Trinidad; the Guianas and NW Brazil (S to R Negro and mouth of R Amazon).
tobagensis Hellmayr & Seilern, 1914 - Tobago I.
pacificus Chapman, 1915 - W Colombia (Pacific coast S from Baudó Mts) and W Ecuador (S to Pichincha).
gigas Thayer and Bangs, 1905 - Gorgona I, off W Colombia.
brevipes (Cabanis, 1851) - middle and lower R Amazon from at least Manacapurú E to middle R Tocantins.
dispar J. T. Zimmer, 1942 - Colombia E of Andes (from Meta and R Negro–R Guainía region) E to SW Venezuela (Amazonas), NW Brazil (E to R Negro and R Juruá), E Ecuador (rare), and NE Peru (S to Yarinacocha).
violaceus J. T. Zimmer, 1942 - SE Peru, N Bolivia, and W Brazil (E to Mato Grosso).
holti Parkes, 1977 - coastal E Brazil from Alagoas S to Rio de Janeiro.