Streamertail

For the mythical figure, see Trochilus (mythology).

Streamertail
Adult male
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Clade:	Strisores
Order:	Apodiformes
Family:	Trochilidae
Tribe:	Trochilini
Genus:	Trochilus Linnaeus, 1758
Species
1-2, see text

The streamertails are hummingbirds in the genus Trochilus, which is endemic to Jamaica. It is the type genus of the family Trochilidae. Today most authorities consider the two taxa in this genus as separate species, but some (e.g. AOU) continue to treat them as conspecific, in which case scitulus is a subspecies of T. polytmus. A wide range of common names apply to this combined species, including green-and-black streamertail, Jamaican streamertail or simply streamertail. The name streamertail is a reference to the greatly elongated rectrices of the males.

Species

Image	Scientific name	Common Name	Distribution
	Trochilus polytmus	Red-billed streamertail	Jamaica
	Trochilus scitulus	Black-billed streamertail	eastern Jamaica

References

• Schuchmann, K. L. (1999). Genus Trochilus. Pp. 572 in: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., & Sargatal, K. eds. (1999). Handbook of the Birds of the World.. Vol. 5. Barn-owls to Hummingbirds. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. ISBN 84-87334-25-3