Taxonomy, nomenclature, and identification of the giant hummingbirds (Patagona spp.) (Aves: Trochilidae)

Giant hummingbirds (Patagona spp.) are extraordinarily large hummingbirds whose taxonomy has been muddled for two centuries. Patagona systematics were recently redefined in a study of migration, physiology, and genomics, revealing two species: the Northern Giant Hummingbird and Southern Giant Hummingbird. Here, we re-evaluate taxonomy and nomenclature of the genus in light of its newly clarified biology and species limits, analyzing data from 608 specimens and wild-caught individuals spanning 1864–2023. The forms gigas and peruviana were both described based on multiple syntypes. The possible syntypes for Patagona gigas are dubious, so we designate a neotype for this taxon. The genetic identity of the peruviana lectotype remains untested, but its plumage appears to match the northern species. We critically considered the identity and usage of gigas and peruviana, respectively, and examined identification challenges that fostered taxonomic uncertainty. We endorse the name Patag..., , # Taxonomy, nomenclature, and identification of the giant hummingbirds (Patagona spp.) (Aves: Trochilidae)

This data deposit contains raw data used in a historical examination of taxonomy and nomenclature of the giant hummingbirds (*Patagona spp.*) in South America. Published data from Williamson et al. 2024, PNAS ([https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2313599121](https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2313599121)) were analyzed together with new data from vouchered specimens and wild-caught birds in Peru. This work would not have been possible without the support of the following museum collections, to whom we are very grateful: American Museum of Natural History, Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Centro de Ornitología y Biodiversidad (CORBIDI), Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates, Field Museum of Natural History, Louisiana State University of Museum of Natural Science, Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University, Muséum...,