My blog about the pyramid of Inca doves got me thinking of birds named for the Incan people. How many of these names exist?
A search found 13 birds with “Inca” in their English names…
Hummingbirds:
Black Inca Coeligena prunellei
Bronzy Inca Coeligena coeligena
Brown Inca Coeligena wilsoni
Collared Inca Coeligena torquata
Inca-finches:
Buff-bridled Inca-finch Incaspiza laeta
Great Inca-finch Incaspiza pulchra
Grey-winged Inca-finch Incaspiza ortizi
Little Inca-finch Incaspiza watkinsi
Rufous-backed Inca-finch Incaspiza personata
Other species:
Inca Dove Columbina inca
Inca Flycatcher Leptopogon taczanowskii
Inca Tern Larosterna inca
Inca Wren Thryothorus eisenmanni
…and prompted two quiz questions:
- All but one of these species is native to South America. Which bird doesn’t live in the land of the Incas?
- Can you think of birds named for other native American tribes or empires? I can think of only one.
(photo of an Inca tern at the National Aviary by Shawn Collins)
Answer to question 1. – Inca Dove
2. Fun quiz! Aztec Parakeet, Aztec Thrush, Montezuma Quail, Montezuma Oropendola, Green-throated Carib, and Purple-throated Carib. Also, Quetzal is an indigenous word if that counts.
Frank, you thought of far more birds than I did. I’m impressed! I only came up with “Aztec Thrush.”