Melanospiza Explained
Melanospiza is a genus of Neotropical birds in the tanager family Thraupidae.
Taxonomy and species list
The genus Melanospiza was introduced in 1897 by the American ornithologist Robert Ridgway with the Saint Lucia black finch as the type species.[1] [2] The name combines the Ancient Greek melas meaning "black" and spiza meaning "finch".[3] Although traditionally placed with the buntings and New World sparrows in the family Emberizidae,[2] molecular phylogenetic studies have shown that the genus is a member of the tanager family Thraupidae and belongs to the subfamily Coerebinae which also contains Darwin's finches.[4]
The genus contains the following two species:[5]
| Image | Scientific name | Common name | Distribution |
|---|
| Melanospiza richardsoni | | Saint Lucia |
| Melanospiza bicolor | | West Indies, northern coasts of Colombia and Venezuela |
|
Notes and References
- Ridgway . Robert . Robert Ridgway . 1897 . Birds of the Galapagos Archipelago . Proceedings of the United States National Museum . 19 . 1116 . 459-670 [466 note] . 10.5479/si.00963801.19-1116.459 . 84705983 . 2027/mdp.39015068571168 . free .
- Book: Paynter . Raymond A. Jr . 1970 . Check-List of Birds of the World . 13 . Museum of Comparative Zoology . Cambridge, Massachusetts . 160 .
- Book: Jobling, James A. . 2010. The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names . Christopher Helm . London . 978-1-4081-2501-4 . 248 .
- Burns . K.J. . Shultz . A.J. . Title . P.O. . Mason . N.A. . Barker . F.K. . Klicka . J. . Lanyon . S.M. . Lovette . I.J. . 2014 . Phylogenetics and diversification of tanagers (Passeriformes: Thraupidae), the largest radiation of Neotropical songbirds . Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 75. 41–77 . 10.1016/j.ympev.2014.02.006 . 24583021 . 2014MolPE..75...41B .
- Web site: Gill . Frank . Frank Gill (ornithologist) . Donsker . David . 2020 . Tanagers and allies . World Bird List Version 10.2 . International Ornithologists' Union . 25 July 2020 .
