Order II. MACROCHIRES.
Fam. XX. TROCHILIDÆ, or HUMMING-BIRDS.
Of the great American family Trochilidæ, which, according to the most
recent authorities, contains about 450 species, eleven members have been
ascertained to occur within the limits of the Argentine Republic. But of
these only three (_Calliperidia furcifera_, _Hylocharis sapphirina_, and
_Chlorostilbon splendidus_) reach the neighbourhood of Buenos Ayres,
where they occur as summer visitors. The remaining eight have been met
with only in the northern and western provinces of Argentina. Of these
two (_Oreotrochilus leucopleurus_ and _Patagona gigas_) are also found
in Chili, the others are Bolivian and South-Brazilian species.