Gray-breasted Martin

SCI Name:  Progne chalybea
Protonym:  Hirundo chalybea Syst.Nat. 1 pt2 p.1026
Taxonomy:  Passeriformes / Hirundinidae / Progne
Taxonomy Code:  gybmar
Type Locality:  Cayenne.
Author:  Gmelin, JF
Publish Year:  1789
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

PROGNE
(Hirundinidae; Ϯ Purple Martin P. subis) L. progne or procne  swallow (Gr. myth. Progne, Prokne or Procne, daughter of King Pandion of Athens and wife to King Tereus of Thrace. Tereus raped Progne’s sister, Philomela, cut out his victim’s tongue and then imprisoned her. Progne discovered the hideous deed by way of a smuggled tapestry, rescued her sister, and, in revenge, butchered her own son Itylus and fed him to Tereus at a Bacchic orgy. Before Tereus could put the dishonoured sisters to the sword they were metamorphosed into a nightingale and a swallow); "I. Fam. Hirundinidae Vigors.  Hirundo Lin.  ...  Progne: Hir. purpurea Gm.  Wils. pl. 39 fig. 2. u.a."(Boie 1826); "Progne Boie, 1826, Isis von Oken, col. 971. Type, by monotypy, Hirundo purpurea "Gm. Wils. pl. 39, fig. 2" = Hirundo subis Linnaeus." (Peters 1960, IX, 85).
Var. Procne.
Synon. Phaeoprogne, Tapera.

progne
Gr. myth. Progne or Procne, daughter of King Pandion of Athens and wife to King Tereus of Thrace (see Progne); ex “Veuve à epaulettes” of de Buffon 1770-1785 (Euplectes).

chalybea
L. chalybeius  steely  < Gr. χαλυβηιος khalubēios  steely  < χαλυψ khalups, χαλυβος khalubos  steel.
● ex “Ardeola” of Marcgrave 1648, “Crabier du Brésil” of Brisson 1760, and “Crabier chalybé” of de Buffon 1770-1783 (syn. Butorides striata).
● ex “Troisième Grimpereau de l’isle de Luçon” of Sonnerat 1776 (syn. Leptocoma sperata).
● ex “Calybé de la Nouvelle Guinée” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 634, and “Blue-green Paradise-bird” of Latham 1783 (syn. Manucodia chalybata).
● ex “Hirondelle de Cayenne” of Brisson 1760, and d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 545, fig. 2, and “Chalybeate Swallow” of Latham 1783 (Progne).

SUBSPECIES

Gray-breasted Martin (warneri)
SCI Name: Progne chalybea warneri
warneri
Dr Dwain Willard Warner (1917-2005) US zoologist (subsp. Aulacorhynchus prasinus, subsp. Chaetura vauxi, subsp. Cistothorus platensis, subsp. Progne chalybea).

Gray-breasted Martin (chalybea)
SCI Name: Progne chalybea chalybea
chalybea
L. chalybeius  steely  < Gr. χαλυβηιος khalubēios  steely  < χαλυψ khalups, χαλυβος khalubos  steel.
● ex “Ardeola” of Marcgrave 1648, “Crabier du Brésil” of Brisson 1760, and “Crabier chalybé” of de Buffon 1770-1783 (syn. Butorides striata).
● ex “Troisième Grimpereau de l’isle de Luçon” of Sonnerat 1776 (syn. Leptocoma sperata).
● ex “Calybé de la Nouvelle Guinée” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 634, and “Blue-green Paradise-bird” of Latham 1783 (syn. Manucodia chalybata).
● ex “Hirondelle de Cayenne” of Brisson 1760, and d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 545, fig. 2, and “Chalybeate Swallow” of Latham 1783 (Progne).

Gray-breasted Martin (macrorhamphus)
SCI Name: Progne chalybea macrorhamphus
macrorhamphus
Gr. μακρος makros long; ῥαμφος rhamphos bill. Var. Macroramphus, Macroramfus.