Leistes

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Leistes
Long-tailed Meadowlark.jpg
Long-tailed meadowlark (Leistes loyca)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Icteridae
Genus: Leistes
Vigors, 1825
Type species
Oriolus americanus
Gmelin, 1788
Species
  • S. militaris
  • S. superciliaris
  • S. bellicosus
  • S. defilippii
  • S. loyca

The genus Leistes are predominantly South American grassland birds called meadowlarks. The genus was previously lumped with the North American meadowlarks in the genus Sturnella .

Contents

It includes five species of largely insectivorous grassland birds. In all species the male at least has a black or brown back and extensively red underparts.

List of species

There are five widely accepted members of the genus. [1]

Genus Leistes Vigors, 1825 – five species
Common nameScientific name and subspeciesRangeSize and ecologyIUCN status and estimated population
Red-breasted meadowlark (formerly red-breasted blackbird)

Sturnella militaris (Soldadito) - Flickr - Alejandro Bayer.jpg
Male
Sturnella militaris - Red-breasted Blackbird (female).jpg
Female

Leistes militaris
(Linnaeus, 1758)
south-western Costa Rica, and Trinidad, south to north-eastern Peru and central Brazil
Sturnella militaris map.svg
Size:

Habitat:

Diet:
 LC 


White-browed meadowlark (formerly white-browed blackbird)

Sturnella superciliaris -Vale do Ribeira, Registro, Sao Paulo, Brazil -8.jpg
Male
Flickr - Dario Sanches - POLICIA-INGLESA-DO-SUL (Sturnella superciliaris).jpg
Female

Leistes superciliaris
(Bonaparte, 1850)
south-western Brazil through Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina
Sturnella superciliaris map.svg
Size:

Habitat:

Diet:
 LC 


Peruvian meadowlark

Peruvian Meadowlark - Ecuador 05 dgs(2) (23781009842).jpg

Leistes bellicosus
(De Filippi, 1847)
western Peru, Ecuador and far northern Chile.
Sturnella bellicosa map.svg
Size:

Habitat:

Diet:
 LC 


Pampas meadowlark

Leistes defilippii Pampas Meadowlark (young male); Saavedra, Buenos Aires, Argentina.jpg
male
Leistes defilippii Pampas Meadowlark (female); Saavedra, Buenos Aires, Argentina.jpg
female

Leistes defilippii
(Bonaparte, 1850)
Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay.
Sturnella defilippii map.svg
Size:

Habitat:

Diet:
 VU 


Long-tailed meadowlark

Loyca.jpg

Leistes loyca
(Molina, 1782)
southern South America and the Falkland Islands
Sturnella loyca map.svg
Size:

Habitat:

Diet:
 LC 


Taxonomy

By the early 20th century, the meadowlarks were split. Only the "yellow-breasted" meadowlarks (eastern and western meadowlarks, including Lilian's) remained in the genus Sturnella. The red-breasted and white-browed meadowlarks were moved to the genus Leistes, while the pampas meadowlark, Peruvian meadowlark and long-tailed meadowlark made up the genus Pezites, which was established by Cabanis in 1851. By the late 20th century, all meadowlarks were lumped in the genus Sturnella. In 2017, all the red-breasted meadowlarks were merged into the genus Leistes.

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References

  1. "ITIS Report: Sturnella". Integrated Taxonomic Information System . Retrieved 29 November 2014.

Sources

Further reading