Horned Sungem

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Horned Sungem
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Apodiformes
Family: Trochilidae
Genus: Heliactin
F. Boie, 1831
Species: H. bilophus
Binomial name
Heliactin bilophus
(Temminck, 1820)
Synonyms
  • Heliactin bilopha (lapsus)
  • Heliactin bilophum (lapsus)
  • Heliactin cornutus
    (Wied-Neuwied, 1821)

The Horned Sungem (Heliactin bilophus) is a South American hummingbird, the only species, (monotypic), of the genus Heliactin. The scientific name bilophus is sometimes considered a nomen oblitum, which, if accepted, results in Heliactin cornutus being the correct name for this species. It can achieve 90 wingbeats per second when it's hovering to drink nectar from flowers. A wingbeat is one complete up-and-down movement, which means that the horned sungem moves its wing muscles at a rate of more than 10,000 times per minute. It prefers fairly dry open or semi-open habitats, such as savanna and Cerrado. It avoids dense humid forest.

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