Patagona

The giant hummingbirds are hummingbirds of the genus Patagona. The genus includes two species, the sedentary giant hummingbird and the migratory giant hummingbird, which are the largest and second largest species of hummingbird respectively.

The giant hummingbird was described and illustrated in 1824 by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot based on a specimen that Vieillot mistakenly believed had been collected in Brazil. The type locality was designated as Valparaíso in Chile by Carl Eduard Hellmayr in 1945. The giant hummingbird was the only species placed in the genus Patagona when introduced by George Robert Gray in 1840.

Molecular phylogenetic studies have shown that the giant hummingbird has no close relatives and is sister to the hummingbird subfamily Trochilinae, a large clade containing the tribes Lampornithini (mountain gems), Mellisugini (bees) and Trochilini (emeralds).

Two subspecies were previously recognised:

These subspecies are thought to have emerged as a result of partial geographical separation of populations by volcanic activity in the Andes predating the Miocene; however, there remain areas of contact between the species, hence the lack of full speciation. The proposed phylogenetic system for hummingbirds suggested by McGuire et al. (2009) accommodated the possible elevation of these subspecies to species rank.

Giant hummingbirds can be identified by their large size and characteristics such as the presence of an eye-ring, straight bill longer than the head, dull colouration, very long wings (approaching the tail tip when stowed), long and moderately forked tail, tarsi feathered to the toes and large, sturdy feet. There is no difference between the sexes. Juveniles have small corrugations on the lateral beak culmen.

Prior to the giant hummingbird being split into the Northern and Southern species, it was described as weighing 18–24 g (0.63–0.85 oz) and having a wingspan of approximately 21.5 cm (8.5 in) and length of 23 cm (9.1 in). Although the Northern species is larger, both are approximately the same length as a European starling or a northern cardinal, though giant hummingbirds are considerably lighter because it has a slender build and long bill, making the body a smaller proportion of the total length. This weight is almost twice that of the heaviest hummingbird species outside of the genus Patagona and ten times that of the smallest, the bee hummingbird.

The giant hummingbird occasionally glides in flight, a behavior very rare among hummingbirds. Its elongated wings allow more efficient glides than do those of other hummingbirds. The giant hummingbird's voice is a distinctive loud, sharp and whistling "chip".