''Diglossa'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

in the family

Thraupidae The tanagers (singular ) comprise the bird family (biology), 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 ...

. They are commonly known as flowerpiercers because of their habit of piercing the base of flowers to access

nectar Nectar is a viscous, sugar-rich liquid produced by Plant, plants in glands called nectaries, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollination, pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to an ...

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 considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

(especially the

Andes The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...

), but two species are found in

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

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 t ...

in 1832 with the cinnamon-bellied flowerpiercer (''Diglossa baritula'') as the

type species In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, 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 spe ...

. The genus name is from the

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

''diglōssos'' meaning "double-tongued" or "speaking two languages". The genus now includes 18 species. * Golden-eyed flowerpiercer, ''Diglossa glauca'' * Bluish flowerpiercer, ''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 th ...

, ''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, su ...

, ''Diglossa sittoides'' * Slaty flowerpiercer, ''Diglossa plumbea'' * Cinnamon-bellied flowerpiercer, ''Diglossa baritula'' * Moustached flowerpiercer, ''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 trop ...

, ''Diglossa lafresnayii'' * Chestnut-bellied flowerpiercer, ''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 h ...

, ''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 f ...

, ''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 threatened ...

, ''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 bird, birds within the tanager family Thraupidae, with specially adapted bills that enable them to p ...

, ''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 a ...

, ''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 shrubla ...

, ''Diglossa gloriosa'' *

Black flowerpiercer The black flowerpiercer (''Diglossa humeralis'') is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae of the order Passeriformes. The family Thraupidae is known for tanagers and other very similar species of birds, but it is still facing classification ...

, ''Diglossa humeralis''

Taxonomy and species list

References

Further reading