Bohol Sunbird Aethopyga decorosa and Mountain Sunbird A. jefferyi are lumped into Metallic-winged Sunbird A. pulcherrima (Clements 2007:542)

Summary: The Philippines loses two recognized endemic species of sunbird, Bohol Sunbird and Mountain Sunbird, which are now considered to be conspecific with Metallic-winged Sunbird.

Details: The three taxa of the Aethopyga pulcherrima complex (Rand 1967) that have recently been treated as species were all originally described as such. Aethopyga decorosa of Bohol and A. pulcherrima of the Eastern Visayas and Mindanao group are primarily lowland in distribution, while Luzon jefferyi is montane. Hosner et al. (2013) found very deep genetic divergences between them that led to their treatment as three species (e.g., Gill and Donsker 2012, IOC v.3.1; Clements et al. 2013, v.6.8), but the near-lack of morphological and vocal differences (Boesman 2016 [No. 342]) led del Hoyo and Collar (2016) to consider all a single species. WGAC, Gill et al. (2023), and Clements et al. (2023) now align on this treatment as well. Further study confirming deep molecular divergences or vocal or other differences might lead to subsequent change.