Sicalis is a genus of birds in the tanager family Thraupidae. Sometimes classified in the bunting and American sparrow family Emberizidae, more recent studies have shown it to belong in the Thraupidae.
The genus Sicalis was introduced in 1828 by the German zoologist Friedrich Boie.[1] The name is from the Ancient Greek σικαλίς/sikalis, a small, black-headed bird, mentioned by Epicharmus, Aristotle, and other authors. It was perhaps a warbler in the genus Sylvia.[2] The type species is the saffron finch.[3] The genus now contains 13 species.[4]
| Image | Scientific name | Common Name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sicalis citrina | Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela | ||
| Sicalis taczanowskii | Ecuador and Peru | ||
| Sicalis uropigyalis | the Altiplano of Peru, Bolivia and northern Chile and Argentina | ||
| Sicalis flaveola | Ecuador, western Peru, eastern and southern Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, northern Argentina, and Trinidad and Tobago | ||
| Sicalis columbiana | Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela | ||
| Sicalis luteola | Colombia south and east to the Guianas and central Ecuador, Peru and Brazil. Birds which breed further south in Argentina and Uruguay migrate to Bolivia and southern Brazil in the austral winter. There are also isolated populations in Central America and Mexico | ||
| Sicalis luteocephala | Andes of Bolivia and far northern Argentina | ||
| Sicalis lebruni | Argentina and Tierra del Fuego; also Chile. | ||
| Sicalis olivascens | the Andes of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru | ||
| Sicalis mendozae | western Argentina. | ||
| Sicalis auriventris | Argentina and Chile | ||
| Sicalis raimondii | Peru | ||
| Sicalis lutea | Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru | ||