Sabrewing

Sabrewing
White-tailed sabrewing
Campylopterus ensipennis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Clade: Strisores
Order: Apodiformes
Family: Trochilidae
Tribe: Trochilini
Genus: Campylopterus
Swainson, 1827
Type species
Trochilus latipennis Latham, 1790=Trochilus largipennis Boddaert, 1783
Species

10, see text

Sabrewing is the common name given to hummingbirds classified in the genus Campylopterus. The group includes ten species. They are Neotropical birds that inhabit mountainous forests, generally near streams.

Sabrewings are on average 12 to 15 cm long. Although small birds, they are relatively large compared to other hummingbirds. The bill is black, strong and slightly curved. The two outer primary remiges (flight feathers) are thick and curved, giving the wings a generally curved appearance. This characteristic is the origin of the common name "sabrewing" and the generic name Campylopterus, from the Greek kampulos (curved) + pteros (wing).

The plumage of sabrewings is based on brownish-green, cinnamon, gray and combinations. Some species have additional shades of violet, particularly on the head, tail and/or throat.

Sabrewings feed on flower nectar, like most hummingbirds, with a preference for flowers of the genus Heliconia.

Taxonomy

The genus Campylopterus was erected by the English naturalist William Swainson in 1827 who listed two species in the genus but did not specify the type.[1] In 1840 the English zoologist George Gray designated the type as Trochilus latipennis Latham, 1790.[2] This is a junior synonym of Trochilus largipennis Boddaert, 1783, the grey-breasted sabrewing.[3][4] The generic name combines the Ancient Greek kampulos meaning "curved" or "bent" and -pteros meaning "-winged".[5]

The genus contains 10 species:[6]

Image Name Common name Distribution
Campylopterus largipennis Gray-breasted sabrewing Amazon rainforest
Campylopterus diamantinensis Diamantina sabrewing Brazil
Campylopterus calcirupicola Outcrop sabrewing Brazil
Campylopterus hyperythrus Rufous-breasted sabrewing Brazil, Guyana, and Venezuela
Campylopterus ensipennis White-tailed sabrewing northeastern Venezuela and Tobago
Campylopterus falcatus Lazuline sabrewing Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela
Campylopterus phainopeplus Santa Marta sabrewing Colombia
Campylopterus hemileucurus Violet sabrewing southern Mexico and Central America as far south as Costa Rica and western Panama
Campylopterus duidae Buff-breasted sabrewing Brazil and Venezuela
Campylopterus villaviscensio Napo sabrewing Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru

References

  1. ^ Swainson, William (1827). "On several groups and forms in ornithology, not hitherto defined". Zoological Journal. 3: 343-363 [358].
  2. ^ Gray, George Robert (1840). A List of the Genera of Birds : with an Indication of the Typical Species of Each Genus. London: R. and J.E. Taylor. p. 13.
  3. ^ Peters, James Lee, ed. (1945). Check-list of Birds of the World. Vol. 5. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 18.
  4. ^ Dickinson, E.C.; Remsen, J.V. Jr., eds. (2013). The Howard & Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World. Vol. 1: Non-passerines (4th ed.). Eastbourne, UK: Aves Press. p. 124. ISBN 978-0-9568611-0-8.
  5. ^ Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 87. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
  6. ^ AviList Core Team (2025). "AviList: The Global Avian Checklist, v2025". doi:10.2173/avilist.v2025. Retrieved 22 April 2026.
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