The bearded helmetcrests (''Oxypogon'') are a genus of

hummingbird Hummingbirds are birds native to the Americas and comprise the biological family Trochilidae. With about 361 species and 113 genera, they occur from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, but the vast majority of the species are found in the tropics aro ...

in the family Trochilidae. They are found in

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

and

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

. Primary natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

is subtropical or tropical high-altitude

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natur ...

, known as

páramo Páramo () can refer to a variety of alpine tundra ecosystems located in the Andes Mountain Range, South America. Some ecologists describe the páramo broadly as "all high, tropical, montane vegetation above the continuous timberline". A narrower ...

. The genus contains four species.

Taxonomy and species list

The

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

''Oxypogon'' was introduced in 1848 by the English ornithologist John Gould. The

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...

was subsequently designated as the

green-bearded helmetcrest The green-bearded helmetcrest (''Oxypogon guerinii'') is a species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is endemic to Colombia.HBW and BirdLife International (2020) ''Handbook of the Birds of the World ...

. The genus name combines the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...

''oxus'' meaning "sharp" or "pointed" with ''pōgōn'' meaning "beard". The genus contains four species: *

White-bearded helmetcrest The white-bearded helmetcrest (''Oxypogon lindenii'') is a species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is endemic to northwestern Venezuela.HBW and BirdLife International (2020) ''Handbook of the Birds ...

, ''Oxypogon lindenii'' *

Green-bearded helmetcrest The green-bearded helmetcrest (''Oxypogon guerinii'') is a species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is endemic to Colombia.HBW and BirdLife International (2020) ''Handbook of the Birds of the World ...

, ''Oxypogon guerinii'' * Blue-bearded helmetcrest, ''Oxypogon cyanolaemus'' * Buffy helmetcrest, ''Oxypogon stuebelii'' These four species were formerly all considered as

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

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. 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 The rufous-capped thornbill (''Chalcostigma ruficeps'') is a species of hummingbird in the "coquettes", tribe Lesbiini of subfamily Lesbiinae. It is found in Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru.HBW and BirdLife International (2020) ''Handbook of the Bir ...

(''Chalcostigma ruficeps''). The other member of the genus ''

Chalcostigma ''Chalcostigma'' is a genus of South American hummingbirds in the family Trochilidae. Taxonomy and species list The genus ''Chalcostigma'' was introduced in 1854 by the German naturalist Ludwig Reichenbach. The type species was subsequently de ...

'' lay outside the group, suggesting the genus might need revising in the future.

Description

The most common species, the white-bearded helmetcrest, measures in length, it is a small hummingbird with a very small 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. The species of bearded helmetcrests are found in the Andes, ranging from altitudes of in Venezuela, and in Colombia. Its main habitat is the

, but can descend to the treeline outside of breeding season. All species often perch on boulders and flit between low-flowering shrubs, visiting the flowers of the genera ''

Espeletia ''Espeletia'', commonly known as 'frailejones' ("big monks"), is a genus of perennial subshrubs, in the family Asteraceae. The genus, which is native mainly to Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador, was first formally described in 1808. The genus was n ...

'', '' Echeveria'', ''

Siphocampylus ''Siphocampylus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Campanulaceae. There are approximately 221 species native to the Neotropical realm. Most grow in mountain habitat.Saburi, W., Reato, L. R., & de Godoy, S. A. P. (2005)Floral venation ...

'', '' Castilleja'' and '' Draba''. All species breed during the rainy season, and nest in the daisy ''

'' or build a nest of material from the daisy in a cliff or bank.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q10803544 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot