Attila is a genus of tropical passerine birds, the attilas. They belong to the tyrant flycatcher family. The species in this genus have large heads and hooked bills; they are markedly predatory and aggressive for their size – hence the scientific and common names, which refer to Attila the Hun.

Attila
Grey-hooded attila
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Tyrannidae
Genus: Attila
Lesson, RP, 1831
Type species
Attila brasiliensis[1] = Muscicapa spadicea
Lesson, 1831
Synonyms

Dasycephala

Taxonomy

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The genus Attila was introduced in 1831 by the French naturalist René Lesson to accommodate a single species, the bright-rumped attila, which is therefore considered as the type species.[2][3] The genus name is from Attila the Hun who attacked Rome and Orléans in the 5th century.[4][5]

The genus contains seven species:[6]

Image Scientific name Common Name Distribution
  Attila phoenicurus Rufous-tailed attila southern Paraguay and Brazil; also extreme northeast Argentina, Bolivia and southern Venezuela
  Attila cinnamomeus Cinnamon attila Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana; also Amazonian Ecuador, Peru, and regions of Bolivia.
  Attila torridus Ochraceous attila Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru
  Attila citriniventris Citron-bellied attila Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
  Attila bolivianus White-eyed attila Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, and possibly Ecuador.
  Attila rufus Grey-hooded attila Brazil.
  Attila spadiceus Bright-rumped attila northwestern Mexico to western Ecuador, Bolivia and southeastern Brazil, and on Trinidad

References

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  1. ^ "Tyrannidae". aviansystematics.org. The Trust for Avian Systematics. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
  2. ^ Lesson, René (1831). Traité d'Ornithologie, ou Tableau Méthodique (in French). Vol. 1. Paris: F.G. Levrault. p. 360 (livr. 5). Published in 8 livraisons between 1830 and 1831. For the publication date see: Dickinson, E.C.; Overstreet, L.K.; Dowsett, R.J.; Bruce, M.D. (2011). Priority! The Dating of Scientific Names in Ornithology: a Directory to the literature and its reviewers. Northampton, UK: Aves Press. p. 119. ISBN 978-0-9568611-1-5.
  3. ^ Traylor, Melvin A. Jr, ed. (1979). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 8. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 186.
  4. ^ Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 60. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
  5. ^ Susan Myers (25 October 2022). The Bird Name Book : A History of English Bird Names. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-23685-8.
  6. ^ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (January 2023). "Tyrant flycatchers". IOC World Bird List Version 13.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 21 March 2023.

Further reading

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