Pytilia

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Pytilia
Bird notes (1913) (14563402449).jpg
Green- and Orange-winged pytilias
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Estrildidae
Genus: Pytilia
Swainson, 1837
Type species
Pytilia phoenicoptera
red-winged pytilia
Swainson, 1837

Pytilia is a genus of small brightly coloured seed-eating birds in the family Estrildidae. They are distributed across Africa.

Contents

Taxonomy

The genus Pytilia was introduced in 1837 by the English naturalist William John Swainson for the red-winged pytilia. [1] [2] The name Pytilia is a diminutive of the genus Pitylus that had been introduced in 1829 by the French naturalist Georges Cuvier for the grosbeaks. [3] A molecular phylogenetic study has shown that the genus is basal to a clade containing the twinspots in the genera Euschistospiza , Hypargos and Clytospiza and the firefinches in Lagonosticta . [4]

Species

The genus contains five species: [5]

ImageCommon NameScientific nameDistribution
Orange-winged pytilia Pytilia afraAngola, Botswana, Burundi, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe
Red-winged pytilia Pytilia phoenicopteraBenin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Togo and Uganda
Red-billed pytilia Pytilia lineataEthiopia
Green-winged Pytilia, Pytilia melba at Pilanesberg National Park, Northwest Province, South Africa (17303689060).jpg Green-winged pytilia Pytilia melbaSub-Saharan Africa
Rotmaskenastrild (Pytilia hypogrammica).JPG Yellow-winged pytilia Pytilia hypogrammicaBenin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Togo

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Estrildidae, or estrildid finches, is a family of small seed-eating passerine birds of the Old World tropics and Australasia. They comprise species commonly known as munias, mannikins, firefinches, parrotfinches and waxbills. Despite the word "finch" being included in the common names of some species, they are not closely related to birds with this name in other families, such as the Fringillidae, Emberizidae or Passerellidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African silverbill</span> Species of bird

The African silverbill is a small passerine bird formerly considered conspecific with the Asian species Indian silverbill,. This estrildid finch is a common resident breeding bird in dry savanna habitat, south of the Sahara Desert. This species has also been introduced to other countries such as Portugal, Qatar and United States.

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

The double-barred finch is an estrildid finch found in dry savannah, tropical (lowland) dry grassland and shrubland habitats in northern and eastern Australia. It is sometimes referred to as Bicheno's finch or as the owl finch, the latter of which owing to the dark ring of feathers around the face. It is the only species placed in the genus Stizoptera .

<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">Green-winged pytilia</span> Species of bird

The green-winged pytilia 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.

<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">Black-faced waxbill</span> Species of bird

The black-faced waxbill is a common species of estrildid finch found in southern Africa. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The IUCN has classified the species as being of least concern.

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

The plum-headed finch also known as cherry finch is a common species of estrildid finch found in Australia. It is the only species placed in the genus Aidemosyne. It has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 100,000 – 1,000,000 km2.

<i>Nesocharis</i> Genus of birds

Nesocharis is a genus of small seed-eating birds in the family Estrildidae. They are found in Africa.

<i>Estrilda</i> Genus of finch in the Estrildidae family

Estrilda is a genus of estrildid finch in the family Estrildidae.

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

The firefinches form a genus, Lagonosticta, of small seed-eating African birds in the family Estrildidae.

<i>Meiglyptes</i> Genus of birds

Meiglyptes is a genus of Southeast Asian birds in the woodpecker family Picidae.

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

Parrotfinches are small, colourful passerine birds belonging to the genus Erythrura in the family Estrildidae, the estrildid finches. They occur from South-east Asia to New Guinea, and many Pacific Islands. They inhabit forest, bamboo thickets and grassland and some can be found in man-made habitats such as farmland, parks and gardens. Several species are commonly kept as cagebirds.

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

Hypargos is a genus of small seed-eating birds in the family Estrildidae that are found in Sub-Saharan Africa.

<i>Euodice</i> Genus of birds

Euodice is a genus of small seed-eating birds in the family Estrildidae. These species are from the dry zones of Africa and India and are commonly referred to as silverbills. They were formerly included in the genus Lonchura.

<i>Amandava</i> Genus of birds

Amandava is a genus of the estrildid finches. These birds are found in dense grass or scrub in Africa and South Asia. They are gregarious seed-eaters with short, red bills. In earlier literature, amadavat and amidavad have been used. The name amandava, along with amadavat and amidavad are all corruptions of Ahmedabad, a city in Gujarat, India from where the first few specimens of the red munia Amandava amandava were obtained.

<i>Spermestes</i> Genus of birds

Spermestes is a genus of small seed-eating birds in the family Estrildidae. They are distributed across Sub-Saharan Africa.

<i>Coccopygia</i> Genus of birds

Coccopygia, is a genus of small seed-eating birds in the family Estrildidae. They are distributed across central and southern Africa.

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

Brunhilda is a genus of small seed-eating birds in the waxbill family Estrildidae. The species are found in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Mayrimunia is a genus of small seed-eating birds in the family Estrildidae that are endemic to New Guinea.

References

  1. Swainson, William John (1837). The Natural History of the Birds of Western Africa. Vol. 1. Edinburgh: W.H. Lizars. p. 203.
  2. Paynter, Raymond A. Jr, ed. (1968). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 14. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 312.
  3. Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 327. ISBN   978-1-4081-2501-4.
  4. Olsson, Urban; Alström, Per (2020). "A comprehensive phylogeny and taxonomic evaluation of the waxbills (Aves: Estrildidae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 146: 106757. Bibcode:2020MolPE.14606757O. doi: 10.1016/j.ympev.2020.106757 . PMID   32028027.
  5. 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 13 July 2021.