Euphonia

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Euphonia
ViolaceousEuphonia2.jpg
Violaceous euphonia, Euphonia violacea
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Fringillidae
Subfamily: Euphoniinae
Genus: Euphonia
Desmarest, 1806
Type species
Euphonia olivacea [1] = Euphonia minuta
Desmarest, 1806
Species

See text.

Euphonias are members of the genus Euphonia, a group of Neotropical birds in the finch family. They and the chlorophonias comprise the subfamily Euphoniinae.

Contents

The genus name is of Greek origin and refers to the birds' pleasing song, meaning "sweet-voiced" (εὖeu means "well" or "good" and φωνήphōnē means "sound", hence "of good sound").

Most male euphonias are dark metallic blue above and bright yellow below. Many have contrasting pale foreheads and white undertails. Some have light blue patches on the head and/or orangish underparts. Females much more plain, predominantly olive-green all over. They range in overall length from 9 to 11 cm (3+12 to 4+12 in). They eat small fruit and berries, particularly mistletoe (Loranthaceae). Some species may also eat some insects. [2]

Euphonias were once considered members of the tanager family, Thraupidae. [3] A molecular phylogenetic study of the finch family Fringillidae published in 2012 included 9 species from the genus Euphonia and a single species from the genus Chlorophonia, the blue-naped chlorophonia. The resulting cladogram showed the blue-naped chlorophonia nested within the Euphonia clade implying that the genus Euphonia is paraphyletic. [4] The genus was introduced in 1806 by the French zoologist Anselme Gaëtan Desmarest in his Histoire naturelle des tangaras, des manakins et des todiers with the white-vented euphonia as the type species. [5] [6]

A taxonomic analysis published in 2020 found that the genus Euphonia was paraphyletic with respect to Chlorophonia. To resolve the paraphyly the authors of the study proposed the resurrection of the genus Cyanophonia that had been introduced in 1851 by Charles Lucien Bonaparte. They suggested that the Antillean euphonia (Cyanophonia musica) should be the type species. The proposed genus would contain three species: the Antillean euphonia, the golden-rumped euphonia and the elegant euphonia. An alternative and simpler way to resolve the paraphyly would be move the three species from Euphonia into Chlorophonia, which has been followed by the IOC. [7]

Species list

The genus contains 24 species: [8]

ImageCommon NameScientific nameDistribution
Jamaican Euphonia RWD.jpg Jamaican euphonia Euphonia jamaicaJamaica
Euphonia saturata - Joseph Smit.jpg Orange-crowned euphonia Euphonia saturataColombia, Ecuador, and Peru
Euphonia plumbea - Plumbeous euphonia (male), Pte. Figueiredo, Amazonas, Brazil.jpg Plumbeous euphonia Euphonia plumbeaBrazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.
Euphonia chlorotica -Piraju, Sao paulo, Brasil -male-8.jpg Purple-throated euphonia Euphonia chloroticaArgentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
Euphonia finschi - Joseph Smit.jpg Finsch's euphonia Euphonia finschiBrazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname and eastern Venezuela.
Euphonia concina (Eufonia frentinegra) (3) (14412648260).jpg Velvet-fronted euphonia Euphonia concinnaColombia
Euphonia trinitatis male 1.jpg Trinidad euphonia Euphonia trinitatisColombia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela.
Euphonia affinis godmani.jpg West Mexican euphonia Euphonia godmaniMexico
Eufonia Garganta Negra - panoramio.jpg Scrub euphonia Euphonia affinisBelize, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua and along the Atlantic coastal lowlands in Costa Rica.
Euphonia luteicapilla.jpg Yellow-crowned euphonia Euphonia luteicapillaCosta Rica, Nicaragua, and Panama
Euphonia chrysopasta - White-lored Euphonia (female).JPG White-lored euphonia Euphonia chrysopastaBolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.
Euphonia minuta - White-vented Euphonia (male); Manacapuru, Amazonas, Brazil.jpg White-vented euphonia Euphonia minutasouthern Mexico south along the Pacific coast to northwestern Ecuador, the second across northern South America from the eastern Andean foothills as far east as the state of Pará in Brazil, and south to northern Bolivia.
CAIS-CAIS (Euphonia chalybea).jpg Green-chinned euphonia Euphonia chalybeanortheastern Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay.
GATURAMO-VERDADEIRO (Euphonia violacea).jpg Violaceous euphonia Euphonia violaceaTrinidad, Tobago and eastern Venezuela south to Paraguay and northeastern Argentina.
Flickr - Rainbirder - Yellow-throated Euphonia (Euphonia hirundinacea) male.jpg Yellow-throated euphonia Euphonia hirundinaceafrom Belize south to western Panama
Thick-billed euphonia (Euphonia laniirostris crassirostris) male.jpg Thick-billed euphonia Euphonia laniirostrisBolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela.
Spot-crowned Euphonia (49677496666).jpg Spot-crowned euphonia Euphonia imitansCosta Rica and Panama.
Flickr - Rainbirder - Olive-backed Euphonia (Euphonia gouldi) male.jpg Olive-backed euphonia Euphonia gouldisouthern Mexico to western Panama.
Fulvous-vented Euphonia.jpg Fulvous-vented euphonia Euphonia fulvicrissaColombia
Euphonia anneae by Francesco Veronesi (cropped).jpg Tawny-capped euphonia Euphonia anneaeColombia, Costa Rica, and Panama.
Orange-bellied Euphonia - Ecuador S4E5535 (22621854444).jpg Orange-bellied euphonia Euphonia xanthogasterBolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela.
Bronze-green Euphonia - South Ecuador S4E0810 (23250387345).jpg Bronze-green euphonia Euphonia mesochrysaBolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
Euphonia cayennensis Golden-sided Euphonia (female) ; Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil.jpg Golden-sided euphonia Euphonia cayennensisBrazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname and eastern Venezuela.
Euphonia rufiventris - Rufous-bellied euphonia (juvenile male), Manacapuru, Amazonas, Brazil.jpg Rufous-bellied euphonia Euphonia rufiventrisBolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
Flickr - Dario Sanches - FERRO-VELHO (Euphonia pectoralis).jpg Chestnut-bellied euphonia Euphonia pectoralisArgentina, Brazil, and Paraguay.

The black-throated euphonia ("Euphonia vittata") is now thought to be a hybrid between the chestnut-bellied euphonia and the orange-bellied euphonia.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Finch</span> Family of birds

The true finches are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. Finches generally have stout conical bills adapted for eating seeds and nuts and often have colourful plumage. They occupy a great range of habitats where they are usually resident and do not migrate. They have a worldwide native distribution except for Australia and the polar regions. The family Fringillidae contains more than two hundred species divided into fifty genera. It includes the canaries, siskins, redpolls, serins, grosbeaks and euphonias, as well as the morphologically divergent Hawaiian honeycreepers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosefinch</span> Genus of birds

The rosefinches are a genus, Carpodacus, of passerine birds in the finch family Fringillidae. Most are called "rosefinches" and as the word implies, have various shades of red in their plumage. The common rosefinch is frequently called the "rosefinch". The genus name is from the Ancient Greek terms karpos, "fruit", and dakno, "to bite".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanager</span> Family of birds

The tanagers comprise the bird family Thraupidae, in the order Passeriformes. The family has a Neotropical distribution and is the second-largest family of birds. It represents about 4% of all avian species and 12% of the Neotropical birds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anselme Gaëtan Desmarest</span> French zoologist

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<i>Calyptorhynchus</i> Genus of cockatoos

Described by French naturalist Anselme Gaëtan Desmarest in 1826, the genus Calyptorhynchus has two species of cockatoos. They are all mostly black in colour, and the taxa may be differentiated partly by size and partly by small areas of red, grey, and yellow plumage, especially in the tail feathers. Studies based on the mitochondrial DNA 12S gene fragment suggested that other sexually dichromatic species, the gang-gang cockatoo and the cockatiel may be the closest living relatives of Calyptorhynchus. However, subsequent studies, including more genes confirm the morphological taxonomy with the gang-gang cockatoo most closely related to the galah, within the white cockatoo group, and with the cockatiel as a third distinct subfamily of cockatoos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Euphoniinae</span> Subfamily of birds

Euphoniinae is a subfamily of finches endemic to the Neotropics. It contains two genera, Euphonia and Chlorophonia.

<i>Chlorophonia</i> Genus of birds

Chlorophonia is a genus of finches in the family Fringillidae. The Chlorophonias are endemic to the Neotropics. They are small, mostly bright green birds that inhabit humid forests and nearby habitats, especially in highlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-bellied canary</span> Species of bird

The white-bellied canary is a species of finch in the family Fringillidae. It is found in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. Its natural habitat is dry savanna.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spadebill</span> Genus of birds

The spadebills are a genus, Platyrinchus, of Central and South American passerine birds in the tyrant flycatcher family Tyrannidae. They have broad, flat, triangular bills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden-sided euphonia</span> Species of bird

The golden-sided euphonia is a species of bird in the family Fringillidae. It is found in northern Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname and eastern Venezuela. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Purple-throated euphonia</span> Species of bird

The purple-throated euphonia is a songbird species in the family Fringillidae. It was formerly placed in the Thraupidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-throated euphonia</span> Species of songbird

The yellow-throated euphonia is a species of songbird in the family Fringillidae. It is found in southeastern Mexico and throughout Central America with its range stretching from Belize south to western Panama. It inhabits primarily both humid and dry regions where it prefers the forest edge, open woodland, and shaded plantations. It has two subspecies, the nominate subspecies Euphonia hirundinaceahirundinacea and Euphonia hirundinacea gnatho. This finch is a small bird with pointed wings and a short bill and short tail. Males of this species have dark glossy blue-black upperparts excluding a yellow forecrown, and bright yellow underparts, while females have olive green upperparts and whitish-gray breast and lower parts. It has a shrill song that alternates between high-pitched and moderately pitched and appears to be able to mimic some calls of other birds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hispaniolan euphonia</span> Species of bird

The Hispaniolan euphonia is a bird species in the finch family, Fringillidae that is endemic to the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trinidad euphonia</span> Species of bird

The Trinidad euphonia is a species of bird in the family Fringillidae. It is common in northern Colombia and northern Venezuela and uncommon to rare on the Caribbean island of Trinidad. Like all euphonias, it is small, stocky, and short-tailed; unlike some, it is sexually dimorphic. The male is glossy blue-black on the head, back, throat, and upper breast, with a bright yellow forehead and crown, and bright yellow underparts. The female is olive-green above and yellow-olive below, with a grayer patch running down the center of her breast and abdomen, and bright yellow undertail coverts. Its calls are high-pitched, plaintive whistles: the two most common are a single-pitched, double-noted "pee pee" or "tee dee", or a rising, double-noted "puwee", "cooleee" or "duu dee". Its song is a short, jumbled mix of musical and nonmusical notes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-crested spadebill</span> Species of bird

The white-crested spadebill is a species of passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family Tyrannidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brazilian tanager</span> Species of bird

The Brazilian tanager is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is endemic to eastern Brazil and far northeastern Argentina, occurring in the coastal region from Paraíba and southwards to Santa Catarina and Misiones.

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The American rosefinches that form the genus Haemorhous are a group of passerine birds in the finch family Fringillidae. As the name implies, various shades of red are characteristic plumage colors of this group. They are found throughout the North American continent.

<i>Spinus</i> (bird) Genus of birds

Spinus is a genus of passerine birds in the finch family. It contains the North and South American siskins and goldfinches, as well as two Old World species.

References

  1. "Fringillidae". aviansystematics.org. The Trust for Avian Systematics. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
  2. del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J.; Christie, D.A.; de Juana, E. (eds.). "Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive". Lynx Edicions. Retrieved 15 July 2015.(subscription required)
  3. Banks, Richard C.; Cicero, Carla; Dunn, Jon L.; Kratter, Andrew W.; Rasmussen, Pamela C.; Remsen, J.V. Jr.; Rising, James D.; Stotz, Douglas F. (2003). "Forty-fourth supplement to the American Ornithologists' Union Check-List of North American Birds". The Auk. 120 (3): 923–931. doi:10.1642/0004-8038(2003)120[0923:FSTTAO]2.0.CO;2.
  4. Zuccon, Dario; Prŷs-Jones, Robert; Rasmussen, Pamela C.; Ericson, Per G.P. (2012). "The phylogenetic relationships and generic limits of finches (Fringillidae)" (PDF). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 62 (2): 581–596. Bibcode:2012MolPE..62..581Z. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2011.10.002. PMID   22023825.
  5. Desmarest, Anselme Gaëtan (1806). Histoire naturelle des tangaras, des manakins et des todiers (in French). Paris: Garnery. p. 35 and plate 27 (pages and plates are not numbered).
  6. Paynter, Raymond A. Jr, ed. (1970). Check-list of Birds of the World. Vol. 13. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 340.
  7. Imfeld, Tyler S.; Barker, F. Keith; Brumfield, Robb T. (2020). "Mitochondrial genomes and thousands of ultraconserved elements resolve the taxonomy and historical biogeography of the Euphonia and Chlorophonia finches (Passeriformes: Fringillidae)". The Auk. 137 (3). doi: 10.1093/auk/ukaa016 .
  8. Gill, Frank; Donsker, David (eds.). "Finches, euphonias". World Bird List Version 5.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 5 June 2015.