Amaurospiza

Amaurospiza
Blackish-blue seedeater (Amaurospiza moesta)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Cardinalidae
Genus: Amaurospiza
Cabanis, 1861
Type species
Amaurospiza concolor
Cabanis, 1861
Species

See text

Amaurospiza is a genus of seed-eating birds in the cardinal family Cardinalidae that are found in Central and South America.

These blue seedeaters are allopatrically distributed and show only small differences in plumage coloration and body measurements. They are sexually dimorphic in plumage: the male is slaty blue while the female is tawny brown. They favour bamboo thickets where they feed on buds, shoots and insects.[1][2]

Taxonomy and species list

The genus Amaurospiza was introduced by the German ornithologist Jean Cabanis in 1861 with Cabanis's seedeater as the type species.[3][4] The name is derived from the Ancient Greek amauros, meaning "dusky", and σπίζα (spíza), a catch-all term for finch-like birds.[5][6]

This genus was formerly included in the tanager family Thraupidae. It was moved to the cardinal family Cardinalidae based on a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2007.[7][8]

The following cladogram shows the phylogenetic relationships within the genus as determined by Juan Areta and collaborators in 2023.[2]

Amaurospiza

Blue seedeater (Amaurospiza concolor)

Ecuadorian seedeater (Amaurospiza aequatorialis)

Blackish-blue seedeater (Amaurospiza moesta)

Carrizal seedeater (Amaurospiza carrizalensis)

Extant Species

The following table lists the four species in the genus with their distribution.[8]

Genus Amaurospiza – Cabanis, 1861 – four species
Common name Scientific name and subspecies Range Size and ecology IUCN status and estimated population
Blue seedeater

Amaurospiza concolor
(Cabanis, 1861)

Two subspecies
 southern Mexico and Central America
Map of range 		Size:

Habitat:

Diet: 		 LC 


Ecuadorian seedeater

Amaurospiza aequatorialis
Sharpe, 1888 		southwest Colombia through Ecuador to northern Peru
Map of range 		Size:

Habitat:

Diet: 		 LC 


Blackish-blue seedeater

Amaurospiza moesta
(Hartlaub, 1853) 		Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay
Map of range 		Size:

Habitat:

Diet: 		 LC 


Carrizal seedeater


Amaurospiza carrizalensis
Lentino & Restall, 2003 		northern Venezuela
Map of range 		Size:

Habitat:

Diet: 		 LC 




References

  1. ^ Ridgely, Robert S.; Tudor, Guy (2009). Birds of South America: Passerines. Helm Field Guides. London: Christopher Helm. pp. 633–634. ISBN 978-1-408-11342-4.
  2. ^ a b Areta, J.I.; Benítez Saldívar, M.J.; Lentino, M.; Miranda, J.; Ferreira, M.; Klicka, J.; Pérez-Emán, J. (2023). "Phylogenetic relationships and systematics of the bamboo-specialist Amaurospiza blue seedeaters". Ibis. 165 (3): 844–861. doi:10.1111/ibi.13181. S2CID 255881753.
  3. ^ Cabanis, Jean (1861). "Uebersicht der im Berliner Museum befindlichen Vögel von Costa Rica". Journal für Ornithologie (in German). 9 (49): 1–11 [3].
  4. ^ Paynter, Raymond A. Jr, ed. (1970). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 13. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 150.
  5. ^ Bailly, Anatole (1981-01-01). Abrégé du dictionnaire grec français. Paris: Hachette. ISBN 978-2010035289. OCLC 461974285.
  6. ^ Bailly, Anatole. "Greek-french dictionary online". www.tabularium.be. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
  7. ^ Klicka, J.; Burns, K.; Spellman, G.M. (2007). "Defining a monophyletic Cardinalini: A molecular perspective". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 45 (3): 1014–1032. Bibcode:2007MolPE..45.1014K. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2007.07.006. PMID 17920298.
  8. ^ a b Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (December 2023). "Cardinals, grosbeaks and (tanager) allies". IOC World Bird List Version 14.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 22 January 2024.


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