Thalurania Tschudii

The present bird would appear, at a first glance, to be identical either with the Thalurania furcata or T. refulgens; but when compared with those species, it is found to present many differences.

It is a larger and more robust bird, and has broader tail-feathers than the former; but it is smaller than the latter, and differs from both in the colouring of the abdomen, which is prussian-blue, while the same part in T. furcatus is ultramarine-blue, and in T. refulgens violet-blue; from the T. nigrofasciata, to which it is also allied, it differs in the truncate form of its green throat-mark.

I am indebted to the Directors of the Museum of Natural History at Neuchatel for permission to examine all the species of Humming-Birds collected by Dr. Tschudi during his travels in Peru; among these was one of the present bird, which was labelled Trochilus furcatus, a circumstance which informs us that this is the species described by that gentleman in his ‘Fauna Peruana’ under that name; as, however, it is quite distinct from the bird to which the term furcatus had been previously applied, I have been obliged to give it a new appellation, and have selected that of Tschudii, as a just compliment to one who has effected so much in the cause of science.

Mr. Hauxwell sent me fine examples from the Ucayali; it is evident, therefore, that the banks of that river is one of its habitats; in all probability the forests of the inner dip of the Bolivian and Peruvian Andes are also inhabited by it. At present I have never seen a female; but this sex will doubtless be coloured like the females of the other members of the genus, particularly the female of T. furcata.

Crown of the head and all the upper surface golden green, inclining to bronzy green on the tail-coverts; throat beautiful green; abdomen prussian-blue; under tail-coverts steel-black, many of the feathers slightly fringed with white; thighs, tarsi, and anal region white; tail steel-black.

The figures are of the natural size. The plant is a Passifora, the specific name of which is unknown to me.

References

More hummingbirds in the genus Thalurania

• Thalurania glaucopis Brazilian Wood Nymph
• Thalurania Watertoni Waterton’s Wood Nymph
• Thalurania furcata Cayenne Wood-Nymph
• Thalurania refulgens Refulgent Wood-Nymph
• Thalurania nigrofasciata Black-banded Wood-Nymph
• Thalurania venusta Veraguan Wood-Nymph
• Thalurania Columbica Columbian Wood-Nymph
• Thalurania verticeps Green-crowned Wood-Nymph
• Thalurania Eriphyle Brazilian Wood-Nymph
• Thalurania? Wagleri Wagler’s Wood-Nymph
• Thalurania hypochlora Citado Wood-Nymph
• Thalurania jelskii Jelski’s Wood-Nymph
• Thalurania furcatoides Para Wood-Nymph