Bearded helmetcrest

Bearded helmetcrest
	Green-bearded helmetcrest, Oxypogon guerinii
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Clade:	Strisores
Order:	Apodiformes
Family:	Trochilidae
Tribe:	Lesbiini
Genus:	Oxypogon; Gould, 1848
Type species
	Ornismya guerinii; Boissonneau, 1840
Species
	see text

The bearded helmetcrests (Oxypogon) are a genus of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. They are found in Colombia and Venezuela. Primary natural habitat is subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland, known as páramo. The genus contains four species.

Taxonomy and species list

The genus Oxypogon was introduced in 1848 by the English ornithologist John Gould.^[1] The type species was subsequently designated as the green-bearded helmetcrest.^[2]^[3] The genus name combines the Ancient Greek oxus meaning "sharp" or "pointed" with pōgōn meaning "beard".^[4]

The genus contains four species:^[5]

Genus **Oxypogon** – Gould, 1848 – four species
Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
White-bearded helmetcrest	Oxypogon lindenii (Parzudaki, 1845)	Venezuela	Size: Habitat: Diet:	LC
Green-bearded helmetcrest	Oxypogon guerinii (Boissonneau, 1840)	Colombia	Size: Habitat: Diet:	LC
Blue-bearded helmetcrest	Oxypogon cyanolaemus Salvin & Godman, 1880	northern Colombia	Size: Habitat: Diet:	CR
Buffy helmetcrest	Oxypogon stuebelii Meyer, AB, 1884	Colombia	Size: Habitat: Diet:	VU

These four species were formerly all considered as subspecies of what was known as the bearded helmetcrest (Oxypogon guerinii). The bearded helmetcrest was split into four separate species based on a study of biometric and plumage data published in 2013.^[5]^[6]

A study of mitochondrial DNA of hummingbirds shows it to be most closely related to the bearded mountaineer (Oreonympha nobilis) and the rufous-capped thornbill (Chalcostigma ruficeps). The other member of the genus Chalcostigma lay outside the group, suggesting the genus might need revising in the future.^[7]

Description

The most common species, the white-bearded helmetcrest, measures 11.4 cm (4.5 in) in length, it is a small hummingbird with a very small 8 mm (0.31 in) bill. The adult male has a distinctive pointed black crest and a shaggy white beard. The face and cheeks are blackish, rendering a triangular shape with the white fronted crest and white beard. The underparts are a dull green-grey. The female lacks the beard and crest.^[8]^[9]

The species of bearded helmetcrests are found in the Andes, ranging from altitudes of 3,600 to 4,500 m (11,800 to 14,800 ft) in Venezuela,^[9] and 3,200 to 5,200 m (10,500 to 17,100 ft) in Colombia.^[8] Its main habitat is the páramo, but can descend to the treeline outside of breeding season.^[9]

All species often perch on boulders and flit between low-flowering shrubs, visiting the flowers of the genera Espeletia, Echeveria, Siphocampylus, Castilleja and Draba.^[9]

All species breed during the rainy season, and nest in the daisy Espeletia or build a nest of material from the daisy in a cliff or bank.^[9]

References

^ Gould, John (1848). "Drafts for a new arrangement of the Trochilidae". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. Part 16 (180): 11–14 [14].
^ Gray, George Robert (1855). Catalogue of the Genera and Subgenera of Birds Contained in the British Museum. London: British Museum. p. 22.
^ Peters, James Lee, ed. (1945). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 5. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 122.
^ Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 287. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
^ ^a ^b Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (July 2020). "Hummingbirds". IOC World Bird List Version 10.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
^ Collar, Nigel J.; Salaman, Paul (2013). "The taxonomic and conservation status of the Oxypogon helmetcrests" (PDF). Conservación Colombiana. 19: 31–38.
^ McGuire, Jimmy A.; Witt Christopher C.; Remsen, J. V. Jr; Dudley R.; Altshuler, Douglas L. (2008). "A higher-level taxonomy for hummingbird" (PDF). Journal of Ornithology. 150: 155–65. doi:10.1007/s10336-008-0330-x. S2CID 1918245.
^ ^a ^b Steven L. Hilty; Bill Brown (1986). A guide to the birds of Colombia. Princeton University Press. p. 295. ISBN 0-691-08372-X. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Steven L. Hilty; Rodolphe Meyer de Schauensee (2003). Birds of Venezuela. Princeton University Press. p. 432. ISBN 0-691-09250-8. Retrieved 12 June 2011.

[1] Gould, John (1848). "Drafts for a new arrangement of the Trochilidae". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. Part 16 (180): 11–14 [14].

[2] Gray, George Robert (1855). Catalogue of the Genera and Subgenera of Birds Contained in the British Museum. London: British Museum. p. 22.

[3] Peters, James Lee, ed. (1945). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 5. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 122.

[4] Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 287. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.

[ioc-5] Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (July 2020). "Hummingbirds". IOC World Bird List Version 10.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 2 January 2020.

[6] Collar, Nigel J.; Salaman, Paul (2013). "The taxonomic and conservation status of the Oxypogon helmetcrests" (PDF). Conservación Colombiana. 19: 31–38.

[7] McGuire, Jimmy A.; Witt Christopher C.; Remsen, J. V. Jr; Dudley R.; Altshuler, Douglas L. (2008). "A higher-level taxonomy for hummingbird" (PDF). Journal of Ornithology. 150: 155–65. doi:10.1007/s10336-008-0330-x. S2CID 1918245.

[Hiltycolomb-8] Steven L. Hilty; Bill Brown (1986). A guide to the birds of Colombia. Princeton University Press. p. 295. ISBN 0-691-08372-X. Retrieved 12 June 2011.

[Hiltyvenez-9] Steven L. Hilty; Rodolphe Meyer de Schauensee (2003). Birds of Venezuela. Princeton University Press. p. 432. ISBN 0-691-09250-8. Retrieved 12 June 2011.

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