Tropical Gnatcatcher

Here the details of the Tropical Gnatcatcher named bird below:

SCI Name:  Polioptila plumbea
Protonym:  Todus plumbeus Syst.Nat. 1 pt1 p.444
Taxonomy:  Passeriformes / Polioptilidae / Polioptila
Taxonomy Code:  trogna1
Type Locality:  Surinam.
Author:  Gmelin, JF
Publish Year:  1788
IUCN Status:  

DEFINITIONS

POLIOPTILA
(Polioptilidae; Ϯ Blue-grey Gnatcatcher P. caerulea) Gr. πολιος polios  grey; πτιλον ptilon  plumage; "The genus Culicivora (as established by Mr. Swainson in the Zoological Journal for 1827) has the Muscicapa stenura of Temminck for its type, but embraces also the Muscicapa cærulea of Wilson and its affines.  Now these birds belong in reality to two very different groups; the M. stenura being a Tyrannine, while the M. cærulea can hardly be placed within the limits of that family, but must be arranged either with the old-world Muscicapines (as in Bonaparte's Conspectus) or with the Sylvians (asin Gray's Genera of Birds).  Dr. Cabanis in his Ornithologische Notizen, in Wiegmann's Archiv, has rightly separated these two forms, but has unfortunately chosen to call the M. cærulea and its allies Culicivora, and made a new name Hapalura for the M. stenura—the true Culicivora of Swainson.  Under these circumstances Hapalura is a mere useless synonym of Culicivora, Sw., and a new name is required for the group containing M. cærulea, and commonly known as Culicivora.  I therefore propose for it the term Polioptila, from the general grey colouring of the plumage.  The species of this genus that I am at present acquainted with are the following:—   1. POLIOPTILA CÆRULEA (Linn.).   ...   2. POLIOPTILA DUMICOLA (Vieill.).   ...   3. POLIOPTILA LEUCOGASTRA (Max.).   ...   4. POLIOPTILA BILINEATA (Licht.)." (P. Sclater 1855); "Polioptila Sclater, 1855, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 23, p. 11. Type, by subsequent designation (Baird, 1864, Rev. Amer. Birds, 1, p. 67), Motacilla caerulea Linnaeus." (Paynter in Peters 1964, X, 448).

polioptila / polioptilus
Gr. πολιος polios grey; πτιλον ptilon plumage.

plumbea
L. plumbeus  leaden, plumbeous, lead-coloured  < plumbum  lead.
● ex “Garza Aplomada” of de Azara 1802-1805, no. 347 (syn. Ardea cocoi).
● ex “Spotted-tailed Hobby” of Latham 1781 (Ictinia).
● ex “Todus supra ex plumbeo canus ...” of Pallas 1769, and “Plumbeous Tody” of Latham 1782 (Polioptila).
● ex “Plumbeous Warbler” of Latham 1787 (unident.).

SUBSPECIES

Tropical Gnatcatcher (White-browed)
SCI Name: Polioptila plumbea [bilineata Group]
POLIOPTILA
(Polioptilidae; Ϯ Blue-grey Gnatcatcher P. caerulea) Gr. πολιος polios  grey; πτιλον ptilon  plumage; "The genus Culicivora (as established by Mr. Swainson in the Zoological Journal for 1827) has the Muscicapa stenura of Temminck for its type, but embraces also the Muscicapa cærulea of Wilson and its affines.  Now these birds belong in reality to two very different groups; the M. stenura being a Tyrannine, while the M. cærulea can hardly be placed within the limits of that family, but must be arranged either with the old-world Muscicapines (as in Bonaparte's Conspectus) or with the Sylvians (asin Gray's Genera of Birds).  Dr. Cabanis in his Ornithologische Notizen, in Wiegmann's Archiv, has rightly separated these two forms, but has unfortunately chosen to call the M. cærulea and its allies Culicivora, and made a new name Hapalura for the M. stenura—the true Culicivora of Swainson.  Under these circumstances Hapalura is a mere useless synonym of Culicivora, Sw., and a new name is required for the group containing M. cærulea, and commonly known as Culicivora.  I therefore propose for it the term Polioptila, from the general grey colouring of the plumage.  The species of this genus that I am at present acquainted with are the following:—   1. POLIOPTILA CÆRULEA (Linn.).   ...   2. POLIOPTILA DUMICOLA (Vieill.).   ...   3. POLIOPTILA LEUCOGASTRA (Max.).   ...   4. POLIOPTILA BILINEATA (Licht.)." (P. Sclater 1855); "Polioptila Sclater, 1855, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 23, p. 11. Type, by subsequent designation (Baird, 1864, Rev. Amer. Birds, 1, p. 67), Motacilla caerulea Linnaeus." (Paynter in Peters 1964, X, 448).

Tropical Gnatcatcher (Marañon)
SCI Name: Polioptila plumbea maior
maior
L. maior, maioris  greater  < comp. magnus  great.

Tropical Gnatcatcher (plumbiceps/anteocularis)
SCI Name: Polioptila plumbea plumbiceps/anteocularis
POLIOPTILA
(Polioptilidae; Ϯ Blue-grey Gnatcatcher P. caerulea) Gr. πολιος polios  grey; πτιλον ptilon  plumage; "The genus Culicivora (as established by Mr. Swainson in the Zoological Journal for 1827) has the Muscicapa stenura of Temminck for its type, but embraces also the Muscicapa cærulea of Wilson and its affines.  Now these birds belong in reality to two very different groups; the M. stenura being a Tyrannine, while the M. cærulea can hardly be placed within the limits of that family, but must be arranged either with the old-world Muscicapines (as in Bonaparte's Conspectus) or with the Sylvians (asin Gray's Genera of Birds).  Dr. Cabanis in his Ornithologische Notizen, in Wiegmann's Archiv, has rightly separated these two forms, but has unfortunately chosen to call the M. cærulea and its allies Culicivora, and made a new name Hapalura for the M. stenura—the true Culicivora of Swainson.  Under these circumstances Hapalura is a mere useless synonym of Culicivora, Sw., and a new name is required for the group containing M. cærulea, and commonly known as Culicivora.  I therefore propose for it the term Polioptila, from the general grey colouring of the plumage.  The species of this genus that I am at present acquainted with are the following:—   1. POLIOPTILA CÆRULEA (Linn.).   ...   2. POLIOPTILA DUMICOLA (Vieill.).   ...   3. POLIOPTILA LEUCOGASTRA (Max.).   ...   4. POLIOPTILA BILINEATA (Licht.)." (P. Sclater 1855); "Polioptila Sclater, 1855, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 23, p. 11. Type, by subsequent designation (Baird, 1864, Rev. Amer. Birds, 1, p. 67), Motacilla caerulea Linnaeus." (Paynter in Peters 1964, X, 448).

Tropical Gnatcatcher (innotata)
SCI Name: Polioptila plumbea innotata
innotata / innotatus
L. innotatus  remarkable  < innotescere  to become known.

Tropical Gnatcatcher (plumbea)
SCI Name: Polioptila plumbea plumbea
plumbea
L. plumbeus  leaden, plumbeous, lead-coloured  < plumbum  lead.
● ex “Garza Aplomada” of de Azara 1802-1805, no. 347 (syn. Ardea cocoi).
● ex “Spotted-tailed Hobby” of Latham 1781 (Ictinia).
● ex “Todus supra ex plumbeo canus ...” of Pallas 1769, and “Plumbeous Tody” of Latham 1782 (Polioptila).
● ex “Plumbeous Warbler” of Latham 1787 (unident.).

Tropical Gnatcatcher (parvirostris)
SCI Name: Polioptila plumbea parvirostris
parvirostris
L. parvus  small; -rostris  -billed  < rostrum  beak.
● ex “Pato pico pequeño” of de Azara 1802-1805, no. 432 (syn. Anas sibilatrix).
● "54.  Tetrao, L.   141. urogallus, L.  (major, Br.  crassirostris, Brehm.  hybridus, L. cum Lyr. tetrice.  medius, Leisl.  intermedius, Langsd.  pseudourogallus, Brehm.  maculatus, Brehm.  urogalloides, Nilss.)   142. parvirostris, Bp.  (urogalloides, Middend.)" (Bonaparte 1856).  According to Mlíkovsky 2012, "the Black-billed Capercaillie should be called Tetrao urogalloides Middendorff, 1853, not Tetrao parvirostris Bonaparte, 1856." (syn. Tetrao urogalloides).

Tropical Gnatcatcher (atricapilla)
SCI Name: Polioptila plumbea atricapilla
atricapilla
L. atricapillus  black-haired (i.e. black-capped, black-headed) < ater  black; capillus  hair of the head (cf. L. atricapilla  unknown small bird, perhaps a tit or the Blackcap).
● ex “Merula atricapilla capitis b. spei” of Brisson 1760 (Donacobius).
● ex “Pato cabeza negra” of de Azara 1802-1805, no. 438 (Heteronetta).
● ex “Tangara jaune à tête noire de Cayenne” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 809, fig. 2, “Mordoré” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and “Black-headed Tanager” of Latham 1783 (syn. Lanio fulvus).
● ? ex “Chinese Sparrow” of Edwards 1743, and “Grosbec de la Chine” of Brisson 1760 (Lonchura).
● ex “Merula viridis atricapilla Moluccensis” of Brisson 1760 (syn. Pitta sordida).
● ex “Atricapilla” or “Ficedula” of Aldrovandus 1599, and Willughby 1676, “Black-Cap” of Ray 1713, and “Motacilla testacea, subtus cinerea, pileo obscuro” of Linnaeus 1746 (Sylvia).
● ex “Black-crowned Bunting” of Latham 1783 (Zonotrichia).
● ex “Cap Nègre” of Levaillant 1804, pl. 140 (unident.).