description Letitia's thorntail Overview
Letitia's thorntail, scientifically classified as Discosura letitiae, is a poorly understood species of hummingbird belonging to the Trochilidae family. The bird is currently classified as Data Deficient by the IUCN because it is known exclusively from two historical male museum specimens. These specimens were originally labeled as originating from Bolivia, but no confirmed wild populations, ecological observations, or female specimens have ever been documented. Due to the lack of verifiable field data, ornithologists remain uncertain whether it represents a genuinely rare species, an extinct one, or simply a hybrid variant of another thorntail.
help Letitia's thorntail FAQ
Has Letitia's thorntail ever been photographed alive?
No confirmed photograph or modern field observation is known. Discosura letitiae is documented primarily from two old male museum specimens labelled as coming from Bolivia.
Why is the location on the specimens considered unreliable?
The specimens carry only an old Bolivia label without a precise collecting locality. Because nineteenth-century specimen labels and national boundaries could be imprecise, ornithologists cannot confidently identify the bird's original habitat or range.
Is Letitia's thorntail extinct?
It has not been formally confirmed extinct. The IUCN treats it as Data Deficient because there is too little reliable information about its range, population, or whether surviving birds remain.
How can Letitia's thorntail be distinguished from other thorntails?
The known males have a shining golden-green crown, coppery upperparts, and a narrow white band across the lower back. Their tail shape and coppery coloration separate them from better-known relatives such as the wire-crested thorntail, Discosura popelairii.
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