Mexican Violetear (Colibri thalassinus) [XC197699]
by Dan Lane from Parque El Boqueron, El Salvador (song)
Mexican Violetear (Colibri thalassinus) [XC519637]
by Manuel Grosselet from , Mexico (call)
Subspecies
The three southern subspecies have sometimes been considered a separate species, Colibri cyanotus. Formerly recognized subspecies minor of Honduras and Nicaragua is now usually subsumed into nominate. Subspecies cyanotus and crissalis apparently intergrade through Colombia and Ecuador, and their distinctness has been questioned.
The following 4 subspecies are recognised:
thalassinus (Swainson, 1827) - Central and southern Mexico to north-central Nicaragua.
cabanidis (Heine, 1863) - Costa Rica and western Panama. Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Lesser Violetear (Colibri cyanotus).
cyanotus (Bourcier, 1843) - Mountains of Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Lesser Violetear (Colibri cyanotus). Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Lesser Violetear (Colibri cyanotus).
crissalis Todd, 1942 - Andes of Peru and Bolivia, and extreme north-western Argentina. Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Lesser Violetear (Colibri cyanotus).
BirdLife International Species Factsheet