Haplophaedia
Encyclopedia
Haplophaedia is a small genus
of hummingbird
s, which - together with the members of the genus Eriocnemis
- are known as pufflegs. They are found at low levels in humid forest, woodland and shrub at altitudes of 1200 to 3100 m. asl
in the Andes
of Bolivia
, Peru
, Ecuador
, and Colombia
. All species have a straight black bill, a coppery-green plumage
, and a slightly forked dark blue tail. The leg-puffs are white in the Greenish and Hoary Pufflegs, and buff
-tinged in the Buff-thighed Puffleg.
of the Greenish Puffleg.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of hummingbird
Hummingbird
Hummingbirds are birds that comprise the family Trochilidae. They are among the smallest of birds, most species measuring in the 7.5–13 cm range. Indeed, the smallest extant bird species is a hummingbird, the 5-cm Bee Hummingbird. They can hover in mid-air by rapidly flapping their wings...
s, which - together with the members of the genus Eriocnemis
Eriocnemis
Eriocnemis is a genus of hummingbirds, which - together with the species in the genus Haplophaedia - are known as pufflegs. They occur in humid forest, woodland and shrub at altitudes of 1000 to 4800 m. asl in the Andes of Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela...
- are known as pufflegs. They are found at low levels in humid forest, woodland and shrub at altitudes of 1200 to 3100 m. asl
Above mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...
in the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
of Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, and Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
. All species have a straight black bill, a coppery-green plumage
Plumage
Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
, and a slightly forked dark blue tail. The leg-puffs are white in the Greenish and Hoary Pufflegs, and buff
Buff (colour)
Buff is a pale yellow-brown colour that got its name from the colour of buff leather.Displayed on the right is the colour buff.EtymologyAccording to the Oxford English Dictionary, buff as a descriptor of a colour was first used in the London Gazette of 1686, describing a uniform to be "A Red Coat...
-tinged in the Buff-thighed Puffleg.
Species
Three species are currently recognized, though the Buff-thighed Puffleg is sometimes considered a subspeciesSubspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of the Greenish Puffleg.
- Greenish PufflegGreenish PufflegThe Greenish Puffleg is a species of hummingbird in the Trochilidae family.It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama....
, Haplophaedia aureliae - Buff-thighed PufflegBuff-thighed PufflegThe Buff-thighed Puffleg is a species of hummingbird in the Trochilidae family.It is found in Bolivia and Peru....
, Haplophaedia (aureliae) assimilis - Hoary PufflegHoary PufflegThe Hoary Puffleg is a species of hummingbird in the Trochilidae family. It is found in Colombia and Ecuador.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is becoming rare due to habitat loss....
, Haplophaedia lugens