Saltator is a genus of passerine birds in the tanager family Thraupidae that are found in Central and South America. They have thick bills, relatively long tails and strong legs and feet.Before the introduction of molecular genetic methods in the 21st century these species were placed in the cardinal family Cardinalidae.
The genus was introduced by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot in 1816 with the buff-throated saltator as the type species.[1] [2] The name is from the Latin saltator, saltatoris meaning "dancer".[3]
The saltators were traditionally grouped with the cardinals, either in the subfamily Cardinalinae within an expanded Emberizidae[4] or in a separate family Cardinalidae.[5] Molecular phylogenetic studies have shown that the saltators are embedded within the tanager family Thraupidae. Within the Thraupidae the genus Saltator is now placed with the genus Saltatricula in the subfamily Saltatorinae. The relationship of the subfamily to the other subfamilies within the Thraupidae is uncertain.[6] [7]
The genus contains 16 species:[7]
| Image | Common Name | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saltator orenocensis | Venezuela, northeast Colombia | ||
| Saltator similis | Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay | ||
| Saltator grandis | Mexico to Panama | ||
| Saltator olivascens | Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas, far north Brazil and Trinidad | ||
| Saltator coerulescens | Widely in tropical and subtropical South America | ||
| Saltator striatipectus | Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guadeloupe, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela. | ||
| Saltator albicollis | Dominica, Martinique, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Lucia. | ||
| Saltator maximus | southeastern Mexico to western Ecuador and northeastern Brazil. | ||
| Saltator atripennis | Colombia and Ecuador. | ||
| Saltator atriceps | central Mexico to eastern Panama. | ||
| Saltator nigriceps | Ecuador and the northern border region of Peru. | ||
| Saltator fuliginosus | Atlantic Forest in far northeastern Argentina (Misiones), eastern and southeastern Brazil, and far eastern Paraguay | ||
| Saltator grossus | the Amazon in South America, but it is also found in forests of the Chocó in Ecuador and Colombia, and southern Central America from Panama to Honduras. | ||
| Saltator cinctus | southern Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. | ||
| Saltator maxillosus | Atlantic Forest in southeastern Brazil, far northeastern Argentina (only Misiones Province), and perhaps far eastern Paraguay. | ||
| Saltator aurantiirostris | Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay | ||
The rufous-bellied mountain saltator was formerly a member of this genus. It is now placed in the subfamily Thraupinae and is the only member of the genus Pseudosaltator. Its common name has been changed to rufous-bellied mountain tanager.[7] The black-throated saltator was also formerly assigned to this genus. It is now placed together with the many-colored Chaco finch in the genus Saltatricula as the two species form a divergent clade that is sister to the other members of Saltator.[7]