NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Purple-backed Sunbeam
Aglaeactis aliciae Salvin, 1896
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The purple-backed sunbeam (Aglaeactis aliciae) is a bird species in the family Trochilidae. It is found only in Peru.
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland and plantations. It is threatened by habitat loss.
It was formerly classified as Critically Endangered by the IUCN. But new research has shown that although hardly any natural habitat is left, this species is still a bit more numerous than it was believed. Consequently, it is downlisted to Endangered status in 2008 and once again to Vulnerable in 2020.
Wikipedia contributors, Purple-backed sunbeam; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:49:55.417462+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Aglaeactis aliciae Salvin, 1896
- Name authority
- Salvin, 1896
- Common name
- Purple-backed Sunbeam
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Apodiformes
- Family
- Trochilidae
- Genus
- Aglaeactis
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderApodiformes
- familyTrochilidae
- subfamilyTrochilinae
- genusAglaeactis Gould, 1848
- speciesAglaeactis aliciae Salvin, 1896
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Aglaeactis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Shining SunbeamAglaeactis cupripennis (Bourcier, 1843) | TrochilidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-hooded SunbeamAglaeactis pamela (d'Orbigny, 1838) | TrochilidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| White-tufted SunbeamAglaeactis castelnaudii (Bourcier & Mulsant, 1848) | TrochilidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=555220 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:65RMR. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.