Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (Amazilia tzacatl) [XC376327]
by Jeff Norris from Torti, San Francisco Nature Reserve, Panama, Panama (song)
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (Amazilia tzacatl) [XC862598]
by Joost van Bruggen from Jaramillo, Boquete District, Chiriqu\u00ed Province, Panama (call)
Subspecies
Amazilia tzacatl (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993) was previously split into Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (Amazilia tzacatl) and Amazilia handleyi following Wetmore (1968), but these two taxa have now been lumped as Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (Amazilia tzacatl) following AOU (1998) and a review by the BirdLife Taxonomic Working Group.
Forms a superspecies with Chestnut-bellied Hummingbird (Amazilia castaneiventris), but not, as sometimes suggested, with Cinnamon Hummingbird (Amazilia rutila) and Buff-bellied Hummingbird (Amazilia yucatanensis), given considerable distributional overlap with former in Central America. Subspecies handleyi has been treated as a distinct species, due mainly to its much larger size, but this is untenable due to zone of morphometric intergradation with nominate in Bocas del Toro Archipelago. Validity of subspecies fuscicaudata has been questioned, but supported by morphometric characters. "Amazilia bangsi" is a hybrid of present species and Cinnamon Hummingbird (Amazilia rutila).
The following 5 subspecies are recognised:
tzacatl (de la Llave, 1833) - Central-eastern (possibly north-east) Mexico to central Panama.
handleyi Wetmore, 1963 - I Escudo de Veraguas (off north-western Panama). Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Escudo Hummingbird (Amazilia handleyi).
fuscicaudata (Fraser, 1840) - Northern and western Colombia and western Venezuela.
jucunda (Heine, 1863) - South-western Colombia and western Ecuador.
BirdLife International Species Factsheet