Amaurospiza

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

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

See text

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

Cabanis's seedeater (Amaurospiza concolor)

Ecuadorian seedeater (Amaurospiza aequatorialis)

Blackish-blue seedeater (Amaurospiza moesta)

Carrizal seedeater (Amaurospiza carrizalensis)


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

ImageCommon NameScientific nameDistribution
Cabanis's seedeaterAmaurospiza concolorsouthern Mexico and Central America
Ecuadorian seedeaterAmaurospiza aequatorialis (formerly conspecific with A. concolor)southwest Colombia through Ecuador to northern Peru
Blackish-blue seedeaterAmaurospiza moestaArgentina, Brazil, and Paraguay
Carrizal seedeaterAmaurospiza carrizalensisnorthern Venezuela

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. 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. 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. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2007.07.006. PMID 17920298.
  8. Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (2020). "Cardinals, grosbeaks and (tanager) allies". IOC World Bird List Version 10.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 27 October 2020.


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