Attila (bird)

Attila is a genus of tropical passerine birds, the attilas. They belong to the tyrant flycatcher family. The species in this genus have large heads and hooked bills; they are markedly predatory and aggressive for their size – hence the scientific and common names, which refer to Attila the Hun.

Attila
Grey-hooded attila
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Tyrannidae
Genus:	Attila Lesson, RP, 1831
Type species
Attila brasiliensis[1] = Muscicapa spadicea Lesson, 1831
Synonyms
Dasycephala

Taxonomy

The genus Attila was introduced in 1831 by the French naturalist René Lesson to accommodate a single species, the bright-rumped attila, which is therefore considered as the type species.^[2][3] The genus name is from Attila the Hun who attacked Rome and Orléans in the 5th century.^[4][5]

The genus contains seven species:^[6]

Image	Scientific name	Common Name	Distribution
	Attila phoenicurus	Rufous-tailed attila	southern Paraguay and Brazil; also extreme northeast Argentina, Bolivia and southern Venezuela
	Attila cinnamomeus	Cinnamon attila	Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana; also Amazonian Ecuador, Peru, and regions of Bolivia.
	Attila torridus	Ochraceous attila	Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru
	Attila citriniventris	Citron-bellied attila	Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
	Attila bolivianus	White-eyed attila	Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, and possibly Ecuador.
	Attila rufus	Grey-hooded attila	Brazil.
	Attila spadiceus	Bright-rumped attila	northwestern Mexico to western Ecuador, Bolivia and southeastern Brazil, and on Trinidad