Brown-rumped seedeater explained

The brown-rumped seedeater (Crithagra tristriata) is a species of finch in the family Fringillidae.It is found in the highlands of Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia.It is widespread in towns, villages gardens, plantations and upland heath.^[1]

The brown-rumped seedeater was formerly placed in the genus Serinus but phylogenetic analysis using mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences found that the genus was polyphyletic.^[2] The genus was therefore split and a number of species including the brown-rumped seedeater were moved to the resurrected genus Crithagra.^{[3] [4]}

Description

Length 13 cm. This is a drab uniform grey-brown canary with a small white supercilium. It has a plain (not streaked or spotted) breast with white under the chin. The uniformity of its drabness means its eponymous 'brown rump' is often not apparent.

References

• Sinclair, Ian & Ryan, Peter (2003) Birds of Africa south of the Sahara, Struik, Cape Town.

Notes and References

1. Book: Aerts . R. . Lerouge . F. . November . E. . Birds of forests and open woodlands in the highlands of Dogu'a Tembien. In: Nyssen J., Jacob, M., Frankl, A. (Eds.). Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains - The Dogu'a Tembien District . 2019 . SpringerNature . 978-3-030-04954-6 .
2. Zuccon . Dario . Prŷs-Jones . Robert . Rasmussen . Pamela C. . Ericson . Per G.P. . 2012 . The phylogenetic relationships and generic limits of finches (Fringillidae) . Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution . 62 . 2 . 581–596 . 10.1016/j.ympev.2011.10.002 . 22023825.
3. Web site: Gill . Frank . Donsker . David . Finches, euphonias . World Bird List Version 5.2. International Ornithologists' Union. 5 June 2015 .
4. Swainson . William . William John Swainson . 1827 . On several forms in ornithology not hitherto defined . Zoological Journal . 3 . 348 .