Fire-tailed Myzornis

SCI Name:  Myzornis pyrrhoura
Protonym:  Myzornis pyrrhoura J.Asiat.Soc.Bengal 12 p.984
Taxonomy:  Passeriformes / Sylviidae / Myzornis
Taxonomy Code:  fitmyz1
Type Locality:  Nepal.
Author:  Blyth
Publish Year:  1843
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

MYZORNIS
(Sylviidae; Ϯ Fire-tailed Myzornis M. pyrrhoura) Gr. μυζαω muzaō  to suck; ορνις ornis, ορνιθος ornithos  bird; "I may notice here a beautiful little Nepâl bird lately sent by Mr. Hodgson, which hardly seems to me to belong strictly to the Nectarinidæ, though it is evidently a soft-billed honey-sucker, and I know not what else to approach it to. Mr. Hodgson styles it  Myzornis pyrrhoura.  The bill of the specimen is mutilated of its extremity, but would appear to have been slightly curved and pointed, moderately slender, depressed, but the ridge of the upper mandible distinctly angulated; nostrils almost closed by an impending scale; and the gape furnished with some delicately fine vibrissæ of moderate length: tarse longer than the middle toe with its claw; toes of mean length, the outer and middle basally connected; claws moderately curved, that of the hind toe much larger than the others; wings much graduated, having the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th primaries subequal, and the 3rd shorter than the 8th: tail even: plumage soft, dense and copious, very puffy over the rump, and the feathers of the head scale-like, but not rigid.  ...  Colour a fine lively green, becoming bright emerald-green on the scale-like feathers of the forehead and crown, which have well defined black centres  ...  tail dusky, washed with greenish, its feathers having their outer webs dull red to near the tip" (Blyth 1843). The Fire-tailed Myzornis was formerly considered a member of the Timaliidae.
Var. Mizornis.

pyrrhoura
Gr. πυρρος purrhos  flame-coloured, red  < πυρ pur, πυρος puros  fire; -ουρος -ouros  -tailed  < ουρα oura  tail.