Aethopyga is a genus of birds in the sunbird family Nectariniidae. Species in this genus are found in South Asia, Southeast Asia and parts of China. Many species such as the grey-hooded sunbird, Apo sunbird, metallic-winged sunbird, handsome sunbird, and Lina's sunbird are endemic to the Philippines.
Taxonomy The genus Aethopyga was introduced in 1851 by the German ornithologist Jean Cabanis. The name combines the Ancient Greek aithos meaning "fire" or "burning heat" with pugē meaning "rump". The type species was designated as the crimson sunbird by George Robert Gray in 1855.
Species The genus contains 21 species: Image Common name Scientific name Distribution Grey-hooded sunbird Aethopyga primigenia Philippines. Apo sunbird Aethopyga boltoni Philippines Tboli sunbird Aethopyga tibolii southern Mindanao in the Philippines Lina's sunbird Aethopyga linaraborae Mindanao in the Philippines Flaming sunbird Aethopyga flagrans northern Philippines. Maroon-naped sunbird Aethopyga guimarasensis Philippines (Negros Island, Panay and Guimaras). Metallic-winged sunbird Aethopyga pulcherrima Philippines. Elegant sunbird Aethopyga duyvenbodei Indonesia Lovely sunbird Aethopyga shelleyi Philippines. Handsome sunbird Aethopyga bella Philippines. Mrs. Gould's sunbird Aethopyga gouldiae Bangladesh, Bhutan, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, India, Vietnam and Southern China. Green-tailed sunbird Aethopyga nipalensis Indian subcontinent, stretching eastwards into parts of Southeast Asia. White-flanked sunbird Aethopyga eximia Indonesia. Fork-tailed sunbird Aethopyga christinae China, Hong Kong, Laos, and Vietnam. Black-throated sunbird Aethopyga saturata Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam. Crimson sunbird Aethopyga siparaja India, through Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar to Indonesia and Brunei. Magnificent sunbird Aethopyga magnifica Negros Island, Panay, Cebu, Tablas Island and Romblon. Vigors's sunbird Aethopyga vigorsii Western Ghats of India. Javan sunbird Aethopyga mystacalis Java and Bali, Indonesia. Temminck's sunbird Aethopyga temminckii Borneo, Sumatra, Malaysia, and south west Thailand Fire-tailed sunbird Aethopyga ignicauda Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand and Tibet.
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