science

Trochilini

Trochilini is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Trochilini rather than just read about it. In short: Trochilini is one of the three tribes that make up the subfamily Trochilinae in the hummingbird family Trochilidae. The other two tribes in the subfamily are Lampornithini (mountain gems) and Mellisugini (bees).

Key takeaways

Trochilini belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Trochilini to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Trochilini from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Trochilini is one of the three tribes that make up the subfamily Trochilinae in the hummingbird family Trochilidae. The other two tribes in the subfamily are Lampornithini (mountain gems) and Mellisugini (bees). The informal name "emeralds" has been proposed for this group. Several genera contain species with "emerald" in their common name including Chlorostilbon which contains ten. The tribe contains 114 species divided into 36 genera.

Phylogeny A molecular phylogenetic study of the hummingbirds published in 2007 found that the species formed nine major clades. When Edward Dickinson and James Van Remsen, Jr. updated the Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World for the 4th edition in 2013 they based their classification on these results and placed three of the nine clades in the subfamily Trochilinae. The clades were placed in separate tribes which they named Trochilini (emeralds), Lampornithini (mountain gems) and Mellisugini (bees). The tribe Trochilini with the current circumscription was introduced in 2009. Molecular phylogenetic studies by Jimmy McGuire and collaborators published between 2007 and 2014 determined the relationships between the major groups of hummingbirds. In the cladogram below the English names are those introduced in 1997. The Latin names are those proposed by Dickinson and Remsen in 2013.

The 2014 study by McGuire led to a major revision of the classification of the Trochilini. Many of the traditional genera were found to be polyphyletic and as a result the classification was substantially revised as shown below in the cladogram. Only one new genus was introduced (Elliotomyia) but eleven genera were resurrected (Phaeoptila, Riccordia, Pampa, Thaumasius, Talaphorus, Leucolia which was later renamed Ramosomyia, Saucerottia, Amazilis, Uranomitra, Chionomesa and Polyerata). At the same time six of the former genera were synonymized (Aphantochroa, Cyanophaia, Elvira, Goethalsia, Juliamyia and Lepidopyga). The number of species in each genus are taken from the AviList taxonomy published in 2025.

Taxonomic list The tribe contains 36 genera.

References

Sources

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Trochilini

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Trochilini claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Trochilini before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Trochilini ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Trochilini

In research: Trochilini appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Trochilini in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Trochilini is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Bird tribes, Hummingbirds, Trochilini, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Trochilini outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Trochilini in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Trochilini means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Trochilini out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Trochilini in simple terms?

Why does Trochilini matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Trochilini?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Trochilini.