Green-winged pytilia

Last updated

Green-winged pytilia
Green-winged Pytilia (Pytilia melba).jpg
Adult male, Tsavo East NP, Kenya
Green-winged Pytilia female RWD.jpg
Female, San Diego Zoo
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Estrildidae
Genus: Pytilia
Species:
P. melba
Binomial name
Pytilia melba
Synonyms

Fringilla melbaLinnaeus, 1758

The green-winged pytilia (Pytilia melba) is a small colourful seed-eating bird in the family Estrildidae. It is widespread throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, though it is more rarely seen in central, far southern and coastal western parts of the continent.

Contents

Taxonomy

The green-winged pytilia was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Fringilla melba. [2] No explanation was provided for the specific epithet melba but it could possibly be from a supposed Chinese word or place. [3] Linnaeus based his description on "The Green Gold-Finch" that had been described and illustrated in 1750 by the English naturalist George Edwards in his A Natural History of Uncommon Birds. [4] Edwards was uncertain of the origin of his specimen and Linnaeus mistakenly specified the locality as China. The specimen was subsequently assumed to be from Angola, [5] but this was restricted to Luanda in Angola by Phillip Clancey in 1962. [6] The green-winged pytilia is now placed in the genus Pytilia that was introduced in 1837 by the English naturalist William John Swainson for the red-winged pytilia. [7] [8]

Eight subspecies are recognised: [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guinea turaco</span> Species of bird

The Guinea turaco, also known as the green turaco or green lourie, is a species of turaco, a group of African otidimorph birds. It formerly included the Livingstone's, Schalow's, Knysna, black-billed and Fischer's turacos as subspecies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodland kingfisher</span> Species of bird

The woodland kingfisher is a tree kingfisher that is widely distributed in Africa south of the Sahara.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Speckled pigeon</span> Species of bird

The speckled pigeon, also African rock pigeon or Guinea pigeon, is a pigeon that is a resident breeding bird in much of Africa south of the Sahara. It is a common and widespread species in open habitats over much of its range, although there are sizable gaps in its distribution. It is sometimes referred to as the Guinea pigeon due to its similar coloring to some species of guineafowl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olive bee-eater</span> Species of bird

The olive bee-eater or Madagascar bee-eater is a near passerine bee-eater species in the genus Merops. It is native to the southern half of Africa where it is present in Angola; Botswana; Burundi; Comoros; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Djibouti; Eritrea; Ethiopia; Kenya; Madagascar; Malawi; Mayotte; Mozambique; Namibia; Rwanda; Somalia; South Sudan; Sudan; Tanzania; Uganda; Zambia; Zimbabwe. It is a common species with a wide range so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated their conservation status as "least concern".

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

Picus is a genus of birds in the woodpecker family. It has representatives in Europe, Asia and North Africa. The genus name is Latin for "woodpecker". The genus Picus was erected by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Speckled mousebird</span> Species of bird

The speckled mousebird is the largest species of mousebird, as well as one of the most common. It is found throughout most of Central, Eastern and Southern Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common waxbill</span> Species of bird

The common waxbill, also known as the St Helena waxbill, is a small passerine bird belonging to the estrildid finch family. It is native to sub-Saharan Africa but has been introduced to many other regions of the world and now has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 10,000,000 km2. It is popular and easy to keep in captivity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-headed lovebird</span> Species of bird

The red-headed lovebird also known as the red-faced lovebird is a member of the genus Agapornis, a group commonly known as lovebirds. Like other lovebirds it is native to Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow bishop</span> Species of bird

The yellow bishop, also known as Cape bishop, Cape widow or yellow-rumped widow, is a resident breeding bird species in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orange-winged pytilia</span> Species of bird

The orange-winged pytilia, also known as the golden-backed pytilia, is a species of estrildid finch found in Africa. It has a wide range and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed it as being of least concern.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cut-throat finch</span> Species of bird

The cut-throat finch is a common species of estrildid finch found throughout Africa; it is also known as the bearded finch, the ribbon finch, the cut throat, and the weaver finch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-headed finch</span> Species of bird

The red-headed finch is a common species of estrildid finch found in Africa. It has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 1,600,000 km2. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue waxbill</span> Species of bird

The blue waxbill, also called southern blue waxbill, blue-breasted waxbill, southern cordon-bleu, blue-cheeked cordon-bleu, blue-breasted cordon-bleu and Angola cordon-bleu, is a common species of estrildid finch found in Southern Africa. It is also relatively commonly kept as an aviary bird.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Violet-eared waxbill</span> Species of bird

The violet-eared waxbill or common grenadier is a common species of estrildid finch found in drier land of Southern Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arabian bustard</span> Species of bird

The Arabian bustard is a species of bustard which is found across the Sahel region of Africa and south western Arabia. It is part of the large-bodied genus, Ardeotis, and, though little known, appears to be a fairly typical species in that group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-mantled widowbird</span> Species of bird

The yellow-mantled widowbird, also known as the yellow-backed widow, is a species of bird in the family Ploceidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scarlet-chested sunbird</span> Species of bird

The scarlet-chested sunbird is a species of bird in the family Nectariniidae. It is found in many areas of Sub-Saharan Africa, and from South Sudan to South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chestnut-bellied seed finch</span> Species of bird

The chestnut-bellied seed finch is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae, but was until recently placed in Emberizidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grey tit</span> Species of bird

The grey tit is a species of bird in the tit family Paridae. It is found in Lesotho and South Africa. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern red bishop</span> Species of bird

The southern red bishop or red bishop is a small passerine bird belonging to the bishop and widowbird genus Euplectes in the weaver family, the Ploceidae. It is common in wetlands and grassland in Africa south of the Equator. North of the Equator, it is replaced by the northern red bishop or orange bishop which was formerly regarded as a subspecies of this species.

References

  1. BirdLife International (2017). "Pytilia melba". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017: e.T22719344A111722703. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-1.RLTS.T22719344A111722703.en . Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  2. Linnaeus, Carl (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis (in Latin). Vol. 1 (10th ed.). Holmiae (Stockholm): Laurentii Salvii. p. 180.
  3. Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 248. ISBN   978-1-4081-2501-4.
  4. Edwards, George (1751). A Natural History of Uncommon Birds. Vol. Part III. London: Printed for the author at the College of Physicians. p. 128, Plate 128.
  5. Zedlitz, O. Graf (1916). "Das Süd-Somaliland als zoogeographisches Gebiet". Journal für Ornithologie (in German). 64 (1): 1–120 [31]. Bibcode:1916JOrni..64....1Z. doi:10.1007/BF02250363. S2CID   36424707.
  6. Clancey, Phillip Alexander (1962). "On the validity of Pytilia melba damarensis Neunzig, 1928". Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club. 82: 3–5 [4].
  7. Swainson, William John (1837). The Natural History of the Birds of Western Africa. Vol. 1. Edinburgh: W.H. Lizars. p. 203.
  8. 1 2 Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (July 2021). "Waxbills, parrotfinches, munias, whydahs, Olive Warbler, accentors, pipits". IOC World Bird List Version 11.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 15 July 2021.