''Diglossa'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

in the family

Thraupidae The tanagers (singular ) comprise the bird family Thraupidae, in the order Passeriformes. The family has a Neotropical distribution and is the second-largest family of birds. It represents about 4% of all avian species and 12% of the Neotrop ...

. They are commonly known as flowerpiercers because of their habit of piercing the base of flowers to access nectar that otherwise would be out of reach. This is done with their highly modified bill, which is typically upswept, with a hook at the tip. Most members of the genus ''Diglossa'' are found in highlands of

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the souther ...

(especially the

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

), but two species are found in

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

Taxonomy and species list

The genus ''Diglossa'' was introduced by the German naturalist

Johann Georg Wagler Johann Georg Wagler (28 March 1800 – 23 August 1832) was a German herpetologist and ornithologist. Wagler was assistant to Johann Baptist von Spix, and gave lectures in zoology at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich after it was moved ...

in 1832 with the

cinnamon-bellied flowerpiercer The cinnamon-bellied flowerpiercer (''Diglossa baritula'') is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is found in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests and he ...

(''Diglossa baritula'') as the

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen( ...

. The genus name is from the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic p ...

''diglōssos'' meaning "double-tongued" or "speaking two languages". The genus now includes 18 species. *

Golden-eyed flowerpiercer The golden-eyed flowerpiercer (''Diglossa glauca''), also known as the deep-blue flowerpiercer, is a species of bird in the tanager family Thraupidae. It is found in humid Andean forests in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia , image_fla ...

, ''Diglossa glauca'' *

Bluish flowerpiercer The bluish flowerpiercer (''Diglossa caerulescens'') is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is found in humid montane forest in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic o ...

, ''Diglossa caerulescens'' *

Masked flowerpiercer The masked flowerpiercer (''Diglossa cyanea'') is a species of bird in the tanager family, Thraupidae. It is found in humid montane forest and scrub in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. Flowerpiercers got their name from the fact ...

, ''Diglossa cyanea'' * Indigo flowerpiercer, ''Diglossa indigotica'' *

Rusty flowerpiercer The rusty flowerpiercer (''Diglossa sittoides'') is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, s ...

, ''Diglossa sittoides'' *

Slaty flowerpiercer The slaty flowerpiercer (''Diglossa plumbea'') is a passerine bird endemic to the Talamancan montane forests. This is a common bird in mountain forest canopy and edges, and especially in sunlit clearings and areas with flowering shrubs, whi ...

, ''Diglossa plumbea'' *

Cinnamon-bellied flowerpiercer The cinnamon-bellied flowerpiercer (''Diglossa baritula'') is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is found in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests and he ...

, ''Diglossa baritula'' *

Moustached flowerpiercer The moustached flowerpiercer (''Diglossa mystacalis'') is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It was first described by French ornithologist Frédéric de Lafresnaye in 1846. It is found in Bolivia and Peru. Its natural habitats are sub ...

, ''Diglossa mystacalis'' *

Glossy flowerpiercer The glossy flowerpiercer (''Diglossa lafresnayii'') is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, subtropical or tro ...

, ''Diglossa lafresnayii'' *

Chestnut-bellied flowerpiercer The chestnut-bellied flowerpiercer (''Diglossa gloriosissima'') is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is endemic to Colombia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests and subtropical or tropical high-al ...

, ''Diglossa gloriosissima'' *

Scaled flowerpiercer The scaled flowerpiercer (''Diglossa duidae'') is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is found in the tepuis of Brazil and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests and subtropical or tropical ...

, ''Diglossa duidae'' *

Greater flowerpiercer The greater flowerpiercer (''Diglossa major'') is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is found in the tepuis of western Guyana, eastern Venezuela and far northern Brazil. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane ...

, ''Diglossa major'' *

Venezuelan flowerpiercer The Venezuelan flowerpiercer (''Diglossa venezuelensis'') is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is endemic to Venezuela. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests in the north of Venezuela. It is threatene ...

, ''Diglossa venezuelensis'' *

White-sided flowerpiercer The white-sided flowerpiercer (''Diglossa albilatera'') is a fairly common and widespread species of Flowerpiercer. Flowerpiercers are a genus of birds within the Tanager family Thraupidae, with specially adapted bills that enable them to pierc ...

, ''Diglossa albilatera'' *

Grey-bellied flowerpiercer The grey-bellied flowerpiercer (''Diglossa carbonaria'') is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is found in the Bolivian Andes and far northwestern Argentina. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, sub ...

, ''Diglossa carbonaria'' *

Black-throated flowerpiercer The black-throated flowerpiercer (''Diglossa brunneiventris'') is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is found in the northern Andes (mainly in Peru but also in Colombia, western Bolivia and far northern Chile). Its natural habitats ...

, ''Diglossa brunneiventris'' *

Mérida flowerpiercer The Mérida flowerpiercer (''Diglossa gloriosa'') is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is endemic to Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests and subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubl ...

, ''Diglossa gloriosa'' * Black flowerpiercer, ''Diglossa humeralis''

Taxonomy and species list

References

Further reading