Coccothraustes

Coccothraustes is a genus of the finch family (Fringillidae).

Coccothraustes
Hawfinch
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Fringillidae
Subfamily: Carduelinae
Genus: Coccothraustes
Brisson, 1760

The genus was introduced by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760 based on tautonymy and the binomial name Loxia coccothraustes of Carl Linnaeus.[1][2]

The genus contains three species:[3]

ImageScientific nameCommon NameDistribution
Coccothraustes coccothraustesHawfinchEurope and temperate Asia
Coccothraustes vespertinusEvening grosbeakCanada and the western mountainous areas of the United States and Mexico
Coccothraustes abeilleiHooded grosbeakCentral America, principally in Mexico and Guatemala.

The hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes) has long been recognised as being closely related to other grosbeaks in the genera Mycerobas, Hesperiphona and Eophona. This was confirmed by molecular genetic studies that showed that the four genera form a well-defined clade.[4] Some authorities have grouped all the species into a single large genus Coccothraustes but this is usually split.[1] Clements and colleagues include the evening grosbeak and the hooded grosbeak in Coccothraustes[5] but the International Ornithologists' Union retain only the hawfinch in the genus.[3]

Molecular genetic studies have shown the finches with large beaks in the Chaunoproctus, Rhynchostruthus and Neospiza genera are not closely related. The similar bill morphology is the result of convergent evolution due to the similar feeding behaviour.[4]

References

  1. Paynter, Raymond A. Jnr., ed. (1968). Check-list of Birds of the World. Volume 14. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. pp. 299–305.
  2. Brisson, Mathurin Jacques (1760). Ornithologie (in French). Paris: Chez C.J.-B. Bauche. Vol. 1 p. 36, Vol. 3 p. 218.
  3. Gill, Frank; Donsker, David (eds.). "Finches, euphonias". World Bird List Version 5.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  4. Zuccon, Dario; Prŷs-Jones, Robert; Rasmussen, Pamela C.; Ericson, Per G.P. (2012). "The phylogenetic relationships and generic limits of finches (Fringillidae)" (PDF). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 62 (2): 581–596. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2011.10.002. PMID 22023825.
  5. Clements, J.F.; Schulenberg, T.S.; Iliff, M.J.; Roberson, D.; Fredericks, T.A.; Sullivan, B.L.; Wood, C.L. (2014). "eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.9". The Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 23 June 2015.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.