Cuban bullfinch explained

The Cuban bullfinch (Melopyrrha nigra) is a species of songbird belonging to the genus Melopyrrha. It is a member of the tanager family Thraupidae falls under the subfamily Coerebinae, which also includes Darwin's finches.

Distribution and habitat

The Cuban bullfinch (Melopyrrha nigra) is an endemic species found exclusively in Cuba. Its natural habitats include subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical moist montane forest, as well as heavily degraded former forests. The IUCN categorizes it as a near threatened species due to its vulnerable status.

Taxonomy

The Cuban bullfinch was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Loxia nigra.^[1] Linnaeus based his short description on Mark Catesby's "The Little Black Bullfinch" and Eleazar Albin's "Black Bullfinch ".^{[1] [2] [3]} The type location is Cuba.^[4] The specific epithet nigra is Latin meaning "black".^[5] The Cuban bullfinch is now one of three species placed in the genus Melopyrrha that was introduced in 1853 by the French naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte.^{[6] [7]} The Grand Cayman bullfinch (M. taylori) found on the Cayman Islands was once considered a subspecies, but is now considered a full species by IUCN and BirdLife International.

External links

• (for Cuba);
• Cuban Bullfinch photo gallery VIREO; Photo-(linked at natureserve.org)

Notes and References

1. Book: Linnaeus, Carl . Carl Linnaeus . 1758 . Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis . 1 . 10th . 175 . Laurentii Salvii . Holmiae (Stockholm) . Latin .
2. Book: Catesby, Mark . Mark Catesby . 1729–1732 . The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands . 1 . London . W. Innys and R. Manby . English, French . 68, Plate 68 .
3. Book: Albin . Eleazar . Eleazar Albin . Derham . William . William Derham . 1738 . A Natural History of Birds : Illustrated with a Hundred and One Copper Plates, Curiously Engraven from the Life . 3 . 65, Plate 69. London . Printed for the author and sold by William Innys .
4. Book: Paynter . Raymond A. Jr . 1970 . Check-List of Birds of the World . 13 . Museum of Comparative Zoology . Cambridge, Massachusetts . 151 .
5. Book: Jobling, James A. . 2010. The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names . Christopher Helm . London . 978-1-4081-2501-4 . 270 .
6. Bonaparte . Charles Lucien . Charles Lucien Bonaparte . 1853 . Notes sur les collections rapportées en 1853, par M. A. Delattre, de son voyage en Californie et dans le Nicaragua: Troisième communication - Passereux Conirostres . French . Comptes Rendus Hebdomadaires des Séances de l'Académie des Sciences . 37 . 913–925 [924] .
7. Web site: Gill . Frank . Frank Gill (ornithologist) . Donsker . David . Rasmussen . Pamela . Pamela Rasmussen . July 2020 . Tanagers and allies . IOC World Bird List Version 10.2 . International Ornithologists' Union . 27 November 2020 .