Lophornis


Lophornis is a genus of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. These are all tiny birds, ranking among the smallest hummingbirds. No species exceeds and most are under in total length, weighing 3 grams or less. The male coquettes are noted from their outlandish, colorful crests and markings, the females being more subdued.

Taxonomy

The genus Lophornis was introduced by the French naturalist René Lesson in 1829. The type species was subsequently designated as the tufted coquette. The generic name combines the Ancient Greek lophos meaning "crest" or "tuft" with ornis meaning "bird".
The genus contains the following eleven species:
ImageNameCommon nameDistribution
Lophornis adorabilisWhite-crested coquetteCosta Rica and Panama
Lophornis brachylophusShort-crested coquetteMexico-
Lophornis chalybeusFestive coquettesoutheast Brazil
Lophornis verreauxiiButterfly coquettenorthwest Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Peru
Lophornis delattreiRufous-crested coquetteBolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, and Peru.
Lophornis gouldiiDot-eared coquetteBolivia and Brazil
Lophornis helenaeBlack-crested coquetteBelize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua.
Lophornis magnificusFrilled coquetteBrazil.
Lophornis pavoninusPeacock coquetteVenezuela and adjacent areas of Brazil and Guyana.
Lophornis stictolophusSpangled coquette
Lophornis ornatusTufted coquetteeastern Venezuela, Trinidad, Guiana, and northern Brazil.