Harpactes
| Harpactes | |
|---|---|
| Malabar trogon, Harpactes fasciatus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Trogoniformes |
| Family: | Trogonidae |
| Genus: | Harpactes Swainson, 1833 |
| Type species | |
| Trogon malabaricus[1] Gould, 1834
| |
| Synonyms | |
|
Duvaucelius | |
Harpactes is a genus of birds in the family Trogonidae found in forests in South and Southeast Asia, extending into southernmost China. They are strongly sexually dimorphic, with females generally being duller than males. Their back is brownish, the tail is partially white (best visible from below), and males of most species have red underparts. They feed on arthropods, small lizards and fruit.
Taxonomy
The genus Harpactes was introduced in 1833 by the English zoologist William Swainson.[2] He did not specify a type species but in 1840 by the English zoologist George Gray designated the type as Trogon malabaricus Gould, 1834.[3] This taxon is now considered as a subspecies of Harpactes fasciatus Pennant, 1769, the Malabar trogon.[4] The genus name is from Ancient Greek ἁρπακτης/harpaktēs meaning "robber".[5]
Two species, cinnamon-rumped and scarlet-rumped trogons, were previously classified in a separate genus, Duvaucelius, and a 2010 study found that these two were closely related and formed a separate clade from all of the other Harpactes trogons (except orange-breasted trogon, which forms a third group), but recommended that all three groups should be treated as congeneric.[6] This same study also found that the genus Apalharpactes, containing two species sometimes included in Harpactes, is actually distantly related and thus a valid genus.[6]
Species
The genus contains ten species.[7]
| Male | Female | Common name | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malabar trogon | Harpactes fasciatus | India and Sri Lanka | ||
| Red-naped trogon | Harpactes kasumba | Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo | ||
| Diard's trogon | Harpactes diardii | Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo | ||
| Philippine trogon | Harpactes ardens | Philippines (except West Visayas, Palawan group and Sulu Archipelago) | ||
| Whitehead's trogon | Harpactes whiteheadi | montane north Borneo | ||
| Cinnamon-rumped trogon | Harpactes orrhophaeus | Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo | ||
| Scarlet-rumped trogon | Harpactes duvaucelii | Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Batu Islands (west of central Sumatra), Riau Islands (east of central Sumatra), Bangka Island and Belitung (east of south Sumatra), Natuna Islands (northwest of Borneo) and Borneo | ||
| Orange-breasted trogon | Harpactes oreskios | southeast Asia and Greater Sundas | ||
| Red-headed trogon | Harpactes erythrocephalus | Himalayas and south China to Sumatra | ||
| Ward's trogon | Harpactes wardi | northeast India to north Vietnam |
References
- ^ "Trogonidae". aviansystematics.org. The Trust for Avian Systematics. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
- ^ Swainson, William (1833). Zoological illustrations, or, Original figures and descriptions of new, rare, or interesting animals. Series 2. Vol. 3. London: Baldwin, Cradock. Plate 107 text.
- ^ 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. 8.
- ^ Peters, James Lee, ed. (1945). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 5. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 161.
- ^ Jobling, James A. "Harpactes". The Key to Scientific Names. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
- ^ a b Hosner, Peter A.; Sheldon, Frederick H.; Lim, Haw Chuan; Moyle, Robert G. (2010). "Phylogeny and biogeography of the Asian trogons (Aves: Trogoniformes) inferred from nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequences". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 57 (3): 1219–1225. Bibcode:2010MolPE..57.1219H. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2010.09.008. PMID 20858547.
- ^ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (February 2025). "Mousebirds, Cuckoo Roller, trogons, hoopoes, hornbills". IOC World Bird List Version 15.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 9 October 2025.
Further reading
- Allen, R. (2001). Genus Harpactes. pp. 106–111 in: del Hoyo, J., A. Elliott, & J. Sargatal. eds. (2001). Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 6. Mousebirds to Hornbills. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. ISBN 84-87334-30-X