Phylogeography and population genetics of the Amethyst-throated Hummingbird (Lampornis amethystinus)

We analyzed mitochondrial DNA sequence variation across 69 Amethyst-throated Hummingbirds (Lampornis amethystinus), comparing with samples of related taxa. Although this group shows discrete phenotypic variation in throat color among populations in Oaxaca and Guerrero (Mexico), the only phylogeographic structure observed was between phenotypically similar populations north and south of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. As such, it appears that throat color variation is of recent origin and likely based only on minor genetic differences.