Aethopyga Bella Bird

English Name:  Handsome Sunbird
Latin Name:  Aethopyga bella
Protonym:  Aethopyga bella Ann.Mag.Nat.Hist.(4), 20 p.537
Taxonomy:  Passeriformes / Nectariniidae / Aethopyga
Taxonomy Code:  hansun1
Type Locality:  Surigao, northern Mindanao.
Author:  Tweeddale
Publish Year:  1877
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

AETHOPYGA
(Nectariniidae; Ϯ Crimson Sunbird A. siparaja) Gr. αιθος aithos  fire, burning heat; πυγη pugē  rump; "Gen. AETHOPYGA nov. gen. **) Feuerhonigsauger.   562.  1. A. siparaja Nob. —  ***)  Certhia siparaja Raffl. Trans. Lin. Soc. XIII. p. 299.  Nectarinia mystacalis Temm. Pl. col. 126. fig. 3.   ...   563.  2. A. eximia Nob.— Nectarinia eximia Horsf. (nec Temm.) Trans. Lin. Soc. XIII. p. 181. Nectarinia Kuhlii Temm. Pl. col. 376. fig. 1. 2.   ...   564.  3. A. nipalensis Nob. — Cinnyris nipalensis Hodgs. Jnd. Rev. 1837. p. 273. — Nectarinia nipalensis Jard. Sun Birds tab. 27.   ...   **) Von αιθος, feuerfarbig und πυγη, Steiss    Mit mittelmässigem, etwas hakig gekrümmtem Schnabel und verlängerten mittlern Schwanzfedern; Gefieder brennend gefärbt.    ***) Der auf Borneo und Malacca vorkommende, mit siparaja identificirte Vogel ist verschieden: A. eupogon n. sp.   ...   Als Arten gehören ferner hierher:  1. A. miles. — Cinnyris miles Hodgs. — 2. A. goalpariensis. — Nect. goalpariensis Jard. — 3. A. ignicauda. — Cinnyris ignicauda Hodgs. — 4. A. saturata. — Cinnyris saturata Hodgs; N. Hodgsonii Jard. — 5. A. Gouldae. — Nectarinia Gouldae Vig. — 6. A. Horsfieldi. — Nectarinia Horsfieldii Blyth. — 7. A. Temminckii. — Nectarinia Temminckii Müll." (Cabanis 1853); "Aethopyga Cabanis, 1851 [=1853], Mus. Hein., 1, p. 103. Type, by subsequent designation (G. R. Gray, 1855, Cat. Gen. Subgen. Birds, p. 19), Certhia siparaja Raffles." (Rand in Peters, 1967, XII, p. 270).
Var. Aithopyga.
Synon. Duyvena, Eudrepanis, Philippinia, Urodrepanis.

aethopyga / aethopygus
Gr. αιθος aithos  fire, burning heat; -πυγος -pugos  -rumped  < πυγη pugē  rump.

bella
L. bellus  pretty, charming  < benus old form of bonus  good.
● ex “Black-lined Grosbeak” of Latham 1801 (Stagonopleura).

SUBSPECIES

Handsome Sunbird (flavipectus)
Latin Name: Aethopyga bella flavipectus
flavipectus
L. flavus  yellow, golden-yellow; pectus, pectoris  breast.

Handsome Sunbird (minuta)
Latin Name: Aethopyga bella minuta
minuta
L. minutus  small, little  < minuere to make smaller (see also minutus).
● ex "Petit Coucou de Cayenne" of Brisson 1760 (Coccycua).
● ex “Petite Tourtourelle brun d’Amérique” of Brisson 1760 (Columbina).
● ex “Little Rail” of Latham 1785 (syn. Hapalocrex flaviventer).
● "61. ANAS.  ...  minuta.  31. A. grisea, auribus albis, remigibus primoribus nigricantibus.  Anas canadensis minor fuscus. Edw. av. 157. t. 157.  Habitat in Canada.  Parva admodum, tota grisea. Punctum album ad aures utrinque. An prioris femina?" (Linnaeus 1758) (syn. Histrionicus histrionicus ♀).
● ex “Gobe-moucheron” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and “Petty Fly-catcher” of Latham 1783 (syn. Myrmotherula brachyura).
● ex “Pico grueso pardo y canela” of de Azara 1802-1805, no. 122 (syn. Sporophila hypoxantha).
● ex “Loxia grisea, uropygio subtusque ferruginea, remigibus 4, 5, 6, basi utrinque albis, cauda integra” of Rolander MS (Sporophila).
● ex “Larus piscator” of Gessner 1555, Aldrovandus 1599, Willughby 1676, and Ray 1713 (syn. Sternula albifrons).

Handsome Sunbird (rubrinota)
Latin Name: Aethopyga bella rubrinota
rubrinota
L. ruber  red; nota  mark, brand.

Handsome Sunbird (bella)
Latin Name: Aethopyga bella bella
bella
L. bellus  pretty, charming  < benus old form of bonus  good.
● ex “Black-lined Grosbeak” of Latham 1801 (Stagonopleura).

Handsome Sunbird (bonita)
Latin Name: Aethopyga bella bonita
bonita
Spanish bonita  very pretty, very nice  < L. bonitas, bonitatis  excellence, goodness  < bonus  good (subsp. Aethopyga bella).

Handsome Sunbird (arolasi)
Latin Name: Aethopyga bella arolasi
arolasi
Gen. Juan Arolas y Esplugues (fl. 1898) Spanish Army, Gov. of Sulu Is., Philippines 1891, Gov. of Melilla, Spanish Morocco 1893-1894, Military Gov. of Havana, Cuba 1898 (subsp. Aethopyga bella).