Amaurospiza
Encyclopedia
Amaurospiza is a genus
of bird
s. These "seedeater
s" were formerly associated with the American sparrow
s and placed in the Emberizidae
or (in the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy
) the Fringillidae. The generic name is derived from the Ancient Greek
amauros ("dusky") + spiza ("finch").
Actually, they are part of the tanager-cardinal lineage. The AOU
moved this genus into the Cardinalidae family in 2008. They may actually belong in one genus with the aberrant blue "grosbeak
s" of the genus Cyanocompsa
. If that is correct, the Dickcissel
in the genus Spiza would, quite amusingly, indeed turn out to be one of their closest living relatives.
Amaurospiza contains the following species
:
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s. These "seedeater
Seedeater
The seedeaters are a form taxon of seed-eating passerine birds with a distinctively conical bill.Most are Central and South American birds that were formerly placed in the American sparrow family , but are now known to be tanagers closely related to Darwins finches...
s" were formerly associated with the American sparrow
American sparrow
American sparrows are a group of mainly New World passerine birds, forming part of the family Emberizidae. American sparrows are seed-eating birds with conical bills, brown or gray in color, and many species have distinctive head patterns....
s and placed in the Emberizidae
Emberizidae
The Emberizidae are a large family of passerine birds. They are seed-eating birds with a distinctively shaped bill.In Europe, most species are called buntings. In North America, most of the species in this family are known as sparrows, but these birds are not closely related to the sparrows, the...
or (in the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy
Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy
The Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy is a bird taxonomy proposed by Charles Sibley and Jon Edward Ahlquist. It is based on DNA-DNA hybridization studies conducted in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s....
) the Fringillidae. The generic name is derived from the Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
amauros ("dusky") + spiza ("finch").
Actually, they are part of the tanager-cardinal lineage. The AOU
American Ornithologists' Union
The American Ornithologists' Union is an ornithological organization in the USA. Unlike the National Audubon Society, its members are primarily professional ornithologists rather than amateur birders...
moved this genus into the Cardinalidae family in 2008. They may actually belong in one genus with the aberrant blue "grosbeak
Grosbeak
Grosbeak is a form taxon containing several species of seed-eating passerine birds with large beaks. Although they all belong to the superfamily Passeroidea, they are not a natural group but rather a polyphyletic assemblage of distantly related songbirds....
s" of the genus Cyanocompsa
Cyanocompsa
Cyanocompsa is a genus of cardinal in the Cardinalidae family.It contains the following species:* Ultramarine Grosbeak * Blue Bunting * Blue-black Grosbeak...
. If that is correct, the Dickcissel
Dickcissel
The Dickcissel is a small American seed-eating bird in the family Cardinalidae. It is the only member of the genus Spiza, though some sources list another supposedly extinct species...
in the genus Spiza would, quite amusingly, indeed turn out to be one of their closest living relatives.
Amaurospiza contains the following species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
:
- Blue SeedeaterBlue SeedeaterThe Blue Seedeater is a species of bird in the family Cardinalidae. It was formerly placed with the American sparrows in the Emberizidae. It is found in highland forest and woodland, mainly near bamboo, in southern Mexico and Central America with a disjunct population in south-western Colombia,...
, Amaurospiza concolor- Slate-blue Seedeater, Amaurospiza (concolor) relicta
- Carrizal SeedeaterCarrizal SeedeaterThe Carrizal Seedeater, Amaurospiza carrizalensis, is a recently discovered species of seedeater. These are birds in the family Cardinalidae, long placed with the American sparrows in the Emberizidae....
, Amaurospiza carrizalensis - Blackish-blue SeedeaterBlackish-blue SeedeaterThe Blackish-blue Seedeater is a species of bird in the family Cardinalidae. It was formerly placed with the American sparrows in the Emberizidae.It is found in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay....
, Amaurospiza moesta