Spermestes Explained

Spermestes is a genus of small seed-eating birds in the family Estrildidae. They are distributed across Sub-Saharan Africa.

Taxonomy

The genus Spermestes was introduced in 1837 by the English naturalist William John Swainson to accommodate the bronze mannikin.^[1] The name combines the Ancient Greek sperma meaning "seed" and -estēs meaning "-eater".^[2]

Based on the results of a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2020, this genus was resurrected for a clade of species that were formerly assigned to the genera Lonchura and Odontospiza.^{[3] [4]}

Species

The genus contains four species:^[4]

Notes and References

1. Book: Swainson, William John . William John Swainson . 1837 . On the Natural History and Classification of Birds . 2 . London . John Taylor . 280 .
2. Book: Jobling, James A. . 2010. The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names . Christopher Helm . London . 978-1-4081-2501-4 . 361 .
3. Olsson . Urban . Alström . Per . Alström . 2020 . A comprehensive phylogeny and taxonomic evaluation of the waxbills (Aves: Estrildidae) . Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution . 146 . 106757 . 10.1016/j.ympev.2020.106757. free . 32028027 .
4. Web site: Gill . Frank . Frank Gill (ornithologist) . Donsker . David . Rasmussen . Pamela . Pamela Rasmussen . January 2023 . Waxbills, parrotfinches, munias, whydahs, Olive Warbler, accentors, pipits . IOC World Bird List Version 13.1 . International Ornithologists' Union . 10 February 2023 .