Overview
The Emberizidae are a large family of birds.
They are seed-eating birds with a distinctively shaped bill. In Europe, most species are named as buntings.
The Emberizidae family probably originated in South America and spread first into North America before crossing into eastern Asia and continuing to move west. This explains the comparative paucity of emberizid species in Europe and Africa when compared to the Americas.
In North America, most of the species in this family are known as (American) Sparrows, but these birds are not closely related to the Old World sparrows which are in the family Passeridae. The family also includes the North American birds known as juncos and towhees.
As with several other passerine families the taxonomic treatment of this family's members is currently in a state of flux. Many genera in South and Central America are in fact more closely related to several different tanager clades,[1][2][3] and at least one tanager genus (Chlorospingus) may belong here in the Emberizidae.[4]
Characteristics
Emberizids are small birds, typically around 15 cm in length, with finch-like bills and nine primary feathers. The family ranges in size from the Sporophila seedeaters, the smaller species of which are about 10 cm and weigh 9-10 grams, to the Abert's Towhee, at 24 cm (9.5 in), and the shorter-tailed, but chunkier Canyon Towhee, at 54 grams (1.9 oz). They live in a variety of habitats, including woodland, brush, marsh, and grassland. The Old World species tend to have brown, streaked, plumage, although some New World species can be very brightly colored. Many species have distinctive head patterns. Their diet consists mainly of seeds, but may be supplemented with insects, especially when feeding the young.[5]
The habits of emberizids are similar to those of finches, with which they sometimes used to be grouped. Older sources may place some emberizids in the Fringillidae, and the common names of some emberizids still refer to them as finches. With a few exceptions, emberizids build cup-shaped nests from grasses and other plant fibres, and are monogamous.[5]
Systematics
The relationships of these birds with other groups within the huge nine-primaried oscine assemblage are at this point largely unresolved. Indeed relationships within the Emberizidae as defined here are uncertain with the possibility that each of the three main groups may not be all that closely related.
The buntings
The results of a recent biochemical study[6] suggest that Melophus, Latoucheornis, and Miliaria may be related to various members of Emberiza and perhaps should be subsumed within that genus.
- Genus Melophus - Crested Bunting
- Genus Latoucheornis - Slaty Bunting
- Genus Emberiza - typical buntings (nearly 40 species)
- Genus Miliaria - CornB unting
The american Sparrows and Brush-Finches, Including juncos and towhees
Chlorospingus seems to belong here too.
- Genus Arremon (7 species)
- Genus Arremonops (4 species)
- Genus Melozone (3 species)
- Genus Pipilo - towhees (9 species)
- Genus Aimophila (14 species)
- Genus Oriturus - Striped Sparrow
- Genus Torreornis - Zapata Sparrow
- Genus Spizella (7 species)
- Genus Pooecetes - Vesper Sparrow
- Genus Chondestes - Lark Sparrow
- Genus Amphispiza (2 species)
- Genus Calamospiza - Lark Bunting
- Genus Passerculus (1-2 species)
- Genus Ammodramus (9 species)
- Genus Passerella - Fox Sparrow (probably 4 species)
- Genus Xenospiza - Sierra Madre Sparrow
- Genus Melospiza (3 species)
- Genus Zonotrichia (5 species)
- Genus Junco - juncos (4 species)
The following are a group of apparently closely related neotropical sparrows known as the brush-finches
- Genus Atlapetes (around 28 species)
- Genus Buarremon (3-4 species)
- Genus Lysurus (2 species)
- Genus Pselliophorus (2 species)
- Genus Pezopetes - Large-footed Finch
The longspurs and Arctic Buntings
- Genus Calcarius (4 species)[7]
- Genus Plectrophenax - Arctic buntings (2 species)
Genera Belonging Elsewhere
The rest of the traditional Emberizidae are listed below. While they do not form a natural group most appear to be closer to various tanager genera, and for the largest part they are often known collectively as tanager-finches.
- Genus Amaurospiza - blue seedeaters (4 species) - may belong with certain grosbeaks (Cyanocompsa) in the family Cardinalidae.
- Genus Acanthidops - Peg-billed Finch
- Genus Camarhynchus - tree-finches (6 species)
- Genus Catamenia - atypical seedeaters (3 species)
- Genus Certhidea - Warbler Finch
- Genus Charitospiza - Coal-crested Finch
- Genus Coereba - Bananaquit
- Genus Coryphaspiza - Black-masked Finch
- Genus Coryphospingus (2 species)
- Genus Diglossa - typical flowerpiercers (14 species)
- Genus Diglossopis - blue flowerpiercers
- Genus Diuca - diuca-finches (2 species)
- Genus Dolospingus - White-naped Seedeater
- Genus Donacospiza - Long-tailed Reed-finch
- Genus Emberizoides - grass-finches (3 species)
- Genus Embernagra (2 species)
- Genus Euneornis - Orangequit
- Genus Geospiza - ground-finches (6 species)
- Genus Gubernatrix - Yellow Cardinal
- Genus Haplospiza (2 species)
- Genus Idiopsar - Short-tailed Finch
- Genus Incaspiza (5 species)
- Genus Lophospingus (2 species)
- Genus Loxigilla - Antillean bullfinches (4 species)
- Genus Loxipasser - Yellow-shouldered Grassquit
- Genus Melanodera (2 species)
- Genus Melanospiza - St. Lucia Black Finch
- Genus Melopyrrha - Cuban Bullfinch
- Genus Nesospiza - Tristan da Cunha finches (2 species)
- Genus Oryzoborus - seed-finches (6 species)
- Genus Paroaria - cardinal-tanagers (5 species)
- Genus Phrygilus - sierra-finches (11 species)
- Genus Piezorhina - Cinereous Finch
- Genus Pinaroloxias - Cocos Island Finch
- Genus Poospiza - warbling-finches (17 species)
- Genus Rhodospingus - Crimson-breasted Finch
- Genus Rowettia - Gough Finch
- Genus Saltatricula - Many-colored Chaco-finch
- Genus Sicalis - yellow-finches (12 species)
- Genus Sporophila - typical seedeaters (some 55 species)
- Genus Tiaris - typical grassquits (5 species)
- Genus Volatinia - Blue-black Grassquit
- Genus Xenospingus - Slender-billed Finch
Photos
Taxonomy
The Family Emberizidae is further organized into finer groupings including:
- Subfamily (1): Emberizinae
- Tribe (2): Cardinalini · Emberizini
- Genus (26): Amaurospiza · Atlapetes · Atlapletes · Cactospiza · Calamuspiza · Calliste · Catamenis · Clypicterus · Cureaus · Fringillaria · Haemophila · Haemophilia · Limnospiza · Oporonis · Pheuticus · Pinaroloxis · Pitylus · Platyspiza · Poecetes · Poocetes · Rhynchophanes · Richmondena · Spermophila · Sycalis · Volatina · Zonotrichia
- Species: ZipcodeZoo has pages for 136 species and subspecies in the Family Emberizidae.
Genera
Amaurospiza
Amaurospiza is a of birds. These "seedeaters" were formerly associated with the American sparrows 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"). [more]
Atlapetes
Atlapetes is a genus of in the Emberizidae family. Along with the genus Buarremon they comprise the brush-finches. [more]
Atlapletes
Cactospiza
Calamuspiza
Calliste
Catamenis
Clypicterus
Cureaus
Fringillaria
Haemophila
Haemophilia (also spelled as hemophilia, from the haima "blood" and philia "to love") is a group of hereditary genetic disorders that impair the body's ability to control blood clotting or coagulation. In its most common form, Hemophilia A, clotting factor VIII is absent. In Haemophilia B, factor IX is deficient. Hemophilia A occurs in about 1 in 5,000–10,000 male births, while Hemophilia B occurs at about 1 in about 20,000–34,000. [more]
Haemophilia
Haemophilia (also spelled as hemophilia, from the haima "blood" and philia "to love") is a group of hereditary genetic disorders that impair the body's ability to control blood clotting or coagulation. In its most common form, Hemophilia A, clotting factor VIII is absent. In Haemophilia B, factor IX is deficient. Hemophilia A occurs in about 1 in 5,000–10,000 male births, while Hemophilia B occurs at about 1 in about 20,000–34,000. [more]
Limnospiza
Oporonis
Pheuticus
Pinaroloxis
Pitylus
Platyspiza
The Vegetarian Finch (Platyspiza crassirostris) is a species of in the Emberizidae family. It is monotypic within the genus Platyspiza. It is endemic to the Galapagos Islands. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical moist montanes. [more]
Poecetes
Poocetes
Rhynchophanes
Richmondena
Spermophila
Sycalis
Volatina
Zonotrichia
Zonotrichia is a of five American sparrows of the family Emberizidae. Four of the species are North American, but the Rufous-collared Sparrow breeds in highlands from the extreme southeast of Mexico to Tierra del Fuego, and on Hispaniola. [more]
At least 51 species and subspecies belong to the Genus Zonotrichia.
More info about the Genus Zonotrichia may be found here.
References
- ^ Burns, K. J., S. J. Hackett, and N. K. Klein, 2002. Phylogenetic relationships and morphological diversity in Darwin's finches and their relatives. Evolution 56 (6). 1240-1252.
- ^ Lougheed, S.C., J.R. Freeland, P. Handford & P.T. Boag. 2000. A molecular phylogeny of warbling-finches (Poospiza): paraphyly in a Neotropical emberizid genus. Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 17: 367-378.
- ^ Burns, K. J., S. J. Hackett, and N. K. Klein. 2003. Phylogenetic relationships of Neotropical honeycreepers and the evolution of feeding morphology. J. Avian Biology 34: 360-370.
- ^ Yuri, T., and D. P. Mindell. 2002. Molecular phylogenetic analysis of Fringillidae, "New World nine-primaried oscines" (Aves: Passeriformes). Mol. Phylogen. Evol. 23:229-243.
- ^ a b Baptista, Luis F. (1991). in Forshaw, Joseph: Encyclopaedia of Animals: Birds. London: Merehurst Press, 210-212. ISBN 1-85391-186-0.
- ^ Alström, P., Olsson, U., Lei, F., Wang, H-t., Gao, W. & Sundberg, P. Phylogeny and classification of the Old World Emberizini (Aves, Passeriformes). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 47, pp. 960-973.
Sources
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