Olive Sunbird

SCI Name:  Cyanomitra olivacea
Protonym:  Cinnyris olivaceus Ill.Zool.S.Afr. text pl.57,note
Taxonomy:  Passeriformes / Nectariniidae / Cyanomitra
Taxonomy Code:  eaosun1
Type Locality:  Kafirland . . . eastward . . . toward Port Natal [= Durban] .
Author:  Smith, A
Publish Year:  1840
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

CYANOMITRA
(Nectariniidae; Ϯ Green-headed Sunbird C. verticalis cyanocephala) Gr. κυανος kuanos  dark-blue, greenish-blue; μιτρα mitra  head-band, diadem; "CLXII. Cyanomitra RCHB. Nat. Syst. t. suppl. — Mittelform zwischen Cinnyris und Anthodiaeta; sie hat von jener die langen Flügel, von dieser das Kleid. Die Brustbüschel sind deutlich. — West-Afrika.   678. C. cyanocephala (Certhia — SHAW VIII. 203.) BONAP. 406. 4.  RCHB. t. DLXXIII. 3905—6.   ...   *679. C. pusilla SWAINS. West.-Afr. 138. RCHB. t. DCXV. = DLXIII.b. 4104.   ...   *680. C. affinis RÜPPEL Abyss. 87. t. 31. f. 1.  RCHB. t. DLXXIII. 3907." (Reichenbach 1853); "Cyanomitra Reichenbach, 1854 [= 1853], Handb. spec. Orn., Icon. Synops. Avium, Scansoriae, p. 291. Type, by subsequent designation (G. R. Gray, 1855, Cat. Gen. Subgen. Birds, p. 137), Certhia cyanocephala Shaw." (Rand in Peters, 1967, XII, p. 223).
Synon. Adelinus, Elaeocerthia, Haagneria, Leucochloridia.

olivacea
Mod. L. olivaceus olive-green, olivaceous < L. oliva olive.
● ex “Olivert” of Levaillant 1803, pl. 125 (syn. Camaroptera brachyura).
● ex “Olivet” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and “Olive Tanager” (= ♀) of Latham 1783, and Pennant 1785 (Piranga).
● ex “Olive-coloured Warbler” of Brown 1776, and Latham 1783 (unident.).
● ex “Promérops olivâtre” of Audebert & Vieillot 1800-1802 (unident.; Meliphagidae).

SUBSPECIES

Olive Sunbird (guineensis)
SCI Name: Cyanomitra olivacea guineensis
guinea / guineae / guineensis
Guinea, West Africa  < Med. Portuguese name Guiné for the tropical West African lands south of the Senegal River occupied by negroes  < Berber word Ghinawen  negroes.  The name came to refer to the old Grain Coast, Gold Coast, Slave Coast, Benin, Calabar and the Camarones, roughly equivalent to the modern area from Guinea-Bissau to Cameroun.
● TL. Guinea coast; ex “Petite Perruche de Guinée” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 60 (syn. Agapornis pullarius).
● TL. Kintampo, Ashanti Province, Gold Coast (Cisticola).
● TL. Inland parts of Guinea, Africa; ex “Columba maculis triquetris.Triangular-spotted Pigeon” of Edwards 1747 (Columba).
● TL. Nanna Kru, Liberia (subsp. Cyanomitra olivacea).
● Erroneous TL. New Guinea (= Guinea coast, Africa); ex “Pic cardinal de l’isle de Luçon” of Sonnerat 1776 (syn. Dendropicos fuscescens).
● TL. Gunnal, Portuguese Guinea (syn. Fraseria cinerascens).
● TL. Mimika River, New Guinea (see novaeguineae) (syn. Gerygone chrysogaster).
● TL. Volta River, Gold Coast (Melaniparus).
● TL. Portuguese Guinea to the Niger (subsp. Phoeniculus purpureus).
● TL. Loko, Benue River, Nigeria (subsp. Sternula albifrons).

Olive Sunbird (cephaelis)
SCI Name: Cyanomitra olivacea cephaelis
cephaelis
Gr. κεφαλις kephalis, κεφαλιδος kephalidos  little head  < dim. κεφαλη kephalē  head.

Olive Sunbird (obscura)
SCI Name: Cyanomitra olivacea obscura
obscura
L. obscurus  dark, dusky, covered, obscure.
● ex “Dusky Duck” of Pennant 1785, and Latham 1785 (syn. Anas rubripes).
● ex “Brown Tern” of Pennant 1768, and Latham 1785 (syn. Chlidonias niger).
● ex “Yacúhú” of de Azara 1802-1805, No. 335: “Yacús  ...  Asi llaman los Güaranís á tres páxaros  ...  á otro llamado Mitú” (Penelope).
● ex “Dusky Petrel” of Latham 1785 (?syn. Pterodroma alba; unident.).

Olive Sunbird (ragazzii)
SCI Name: Cyanomitra olivacea ragazzii
ragazzii
Dr Vincenzo Ragazzi (?1855-1929) Italian geographer, collector, explorer in Abyssinia 1887-1889 (subsp. Cyanomitra olivacea).

Olive Sunbird (changamwensis)
SCI Name: Cyanomitra olivacea changamwensis
changamwensis
Changamwe, near Mombasa, British East Africa / Kenya.

Olive Sunbird (neglecta)
SCI Name: Cyanomitra olivacea neglecta
neglecta / neglectum / neglectus
L. neglectus  ignored, overlooked, neglected, disregarded  < neglegere  to neglect.

Olive Sunbird (granti)
SCI Name: Cyanomitra olivacea granti
granti
● William Robert Ogilvie-Grant (1863-1924) English ornithologist at BMNH 1882-1918 (subsp. Acanthisitta chloris, subsp. Accipiter nisus, subsp. Aerodramus vanikorensis, syn. Alopecoenas beccarii solomonensis, subsp. Camaroptera chloronota, Horizocerus, syn. Lophura nycthemera, syn. Melaenornis pallida parvus, subsp. Microptilotis mimikae, subsp. Napothera epilepidota, syn. Neocossyphus poensis praepectoralis, Ninox, syn. Oriolus szalayi, syn. Pellorneum ruficeps olivaceum, Penelope, subsp. Ptiloprora plumbea, Ptilopsis, subsp. Rhipidura rufifrons (ex Rhipidura harterti Ogilvie-Grant), subsp. Sericornis spilodera, subsp. Sturnus vulgaris, Sula).
● Capt. Claude Henry Baxter Grant (1878-1958) British ornithologist at BMNH 1898-1903, 1932-1958, in East Africa 1916-1932 (subsp. Bradypterus lopezi, subsp. Crithagra mozambica, subsp. Cyanomitra olivacea, syn. Malimbus malimbicus, subsp. Phoeniculus damarensis, syn. Pyrenestes ostrinus minor, subsp. Sheppardia poensis, subsp. Smutsornis africanus, subsp. Terpsiphone viridis, subsp. Treron delalandii).
● Lt.-Col. James Augustus Grant (1827-1892) British Army, explorer with Speke in East Africa 1860-1863 (syn. Guttera pucherani).
● Robert Grant (1854-1923) Scottish miner and immigrant to Australia 1879, taxidermist at Australian Mus. 1887-1917, collector, explorer (subsp. Paradisaea raggiana).

Olive Sunbird (alfredi)
SCI Name: Cyanomitra olivacea alfredi
alfredi
● Prof. Alfred Newton (1829-1907) British ornithologist (Bradypterus, syn. Tylas eduardi).
● Alfred William Vincent (1904-2000) English ornithologist, brother of Col. Jack Vincent (subsp. Cyanomitra olivacea).
● Alfred Henry Ebsworth White (1901-1964) Australian field-naturalist, son of collector Henry L. White (syn. Lacustroica whitei).
● Alfred Hart Everett (1848-1898) English ornithologist, explorer, collector in the East Indies (Otus).
● Admiral Prince Alfred Ernest Albert (1844-1900) 3^rd Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (reigned 1893-1900), Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Ulster and Earl of Kent, second son of Queen Victoria (syn. Petrochelidon spilodera).
● Sir Alfred Sharpe (1853-1935) British adventurer, big-game hunter, Consul-General and Commissioner for British Central Africa 1896-1907, Gov. of Nyasaland 1907-1910 (subsp. Phyllastrephus flavostriatus, syn. Tachymarptis aequatorialis).
● Alfred Henri Edme Œillet des Murs (b. 1842) French JP, son of ornithologist Marc Athanase Parfait Œillet des Murs (Björn Bergenholtz in litt.) (subsp. Psarocolius angustifrons).
● Antoine-Alfred Marche (1844-1898) French naturalist, explorer, collector in West Africa, the Philippines, and the Marianas (subsp. Todiramphus winchelli).

Olive Sunbird (sclateri)
SCI Name: Cyanomitra olivacea sclateri
sclateri
● Dr Philip Lutley Sclater (1829-1913) English ornithologist, collector (subsp. Apalis cinerea, subsp. Asthenes wyatti, subsp. Attila spadiceus, Cacicus, syn. Campephilus gayaquilensis, subsp. Camptostoma obsoletum, syn. Casuarius casuarius, subsp. Cercomacra cinerascens, subsp. Chaetura cinereiventris, Chasiempis, subsp. Colinus leucopogon, syn. Crax fasciolata, syn. Cyanocorax affinis, Doliornis, Eudyptes, Euphonia (ex Bonaparte MS), subsp. Forpus modestus, subsp. Guttera verreauxi, syn. Heliomaster longirostris, subsp. Hirundinea ferruginea, subsp. Icterus pustulatus, Knipolegus, Lophophorus, Loriculus, subsp. Loxigilla noctis, Meliarchus, subsp. Monasa morphoeus, subsp. Myiarchus oberi, Myrmotherula, Myzomela, Nonnula, syn. Penelope barbata, subsp. Penelope montagnii, syn. Penelope obscura, Pheugopedius, Phyllomyias, Picumnus, syn. Pipreola chlorolepidota, syn. Plectropterus gambensis, Poecile, Pseudocolopteryx, syn. Rufirallus fasciatus, syn. Spinus magellanicus capitalis, subsp. Tachycineta euchrysea, subsp. Tangara aurulenta, syn. Tangara cabanisi, syn. Thamnophilus amazonicus, syn. Thraupis episcopus nesophilus, subsp. Thripadectes virgaticeps, subsp. Todirostrum cinereum, subsp. Tolmomyias poliocephalus, Vireo, subsp. Xiphocolaptes promeropirhynchus).
● William Lutley Sclater (1863-1944) English ornithologist (son of Dr Philip Lutley Sclater), Director of Cape Town Mus. 1896-1906 (syn. Apalis thoracica capensis, subsp. Caprimulgus climacurus, subsp. Cercotrichas leucophrys, syn. Chlidonias hybrida delalandii, syn. Cisticola galactotes amphilectus, subsp. Cyanomitra olivacea, subsp. Dendrocitta vagabunda, subsp. Monticola rufocinereus, subsp. Neomixis striatigula, syn. Ploceus bicolor stictifrons, Spizocorys, syn. Turtur afer).

Olive Sunbird (olivacina)
SCI Name: Cyanomitra olivacea olivacina
olivacina / olivacinus
Mod. L. olivacinus  very olive, olivaceous  < L. oliva  olive (cf. Med. L. olivo  to darken).

Olive Sunbird (olivacea)
SCI Name: Cyanomitra olivacea olivacea
olivacea
Mod. L. olivaceus olive-green, olivaceous < L. oliva olive.
● ex “Olivert” of Levaillant 1803, pl. 125 (syn. Camaroptera brachyura).
● ex “Olivet” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and “Olive Tanager” (= ♀) of Latham 1783, and Pennant 1785 (Piranga).
● ex “Olive-coloured Warbler” of Brown 1776, and Latham 1783 (unident.).
● ex “Promérops olivâtre” of Audebert & Vieillot 1800-1802 (unident.; Meliphagidae).