Peruvian Sheartail
Thaumastura cora
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderApodiformes (Swifts and Hummingbirds)
- FamilyTrochilidae (Hummingbirds)
- GenusThaumastura
- SpeciesThaumastura cora (Peruvian Sheartail)
About the Peruvian Sheartail
The Peruvian sheartail (Thaumastura cora) is a species of hummingbird in tribe Mellisugini of subfamily Trochilinae, the "bee hummingbirds". It is the only species placed in the genus Thaumastura. It is found in Chile, Ecuador, and Peru.
The Peruvian sheartail was first described by René Lesson and Prosper Garnot in 1827 as Ornismya cora. Bonaparte assigned it to its current genus Thaumastura in 1850. In the past, several subspecies were assigned to it but since at least the 1950s they have all been determined to be individual variation. In addition, several other species have at times been assigned to genus Thaumastura. The Peruvian sheartail is now the only member of its genus and has no subspecies.
It is closely related to the short-tailed woodstar (Myrmia micrura), purple-collared woodstar (Myrtis fanny), and oasis hummingbird (Rhodopis vesper) despite their all being in different genera. The male Peruvian sheartail is about 14 cm (5.5 in) long and weighs about 2.5 g (0.088 oz). The female about 7.5 cm (3.0 in) long and weighs about 2.6 g (0.092 oz). It is among the tiniest hummingbirds. Both sexes have a short, straight, black bill... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Peruvian Sheartail in Paracas National Reserve
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Paracas National Reserve
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huascarán National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 2 | Lauca National Park | 🇨🇱 Chile | |
| 3 | Paracas National Reserve | 🇵🇪 Peru |