{{Unreferenced, date=December 2007 The seedeaters are a

form taxon Form classification is the classification of organisms based on their morphology, which does not necessarily reflect their biological relationships. Form classification, generally restricted to palaeontology, reflects uncertainty; the goal of sc ...

of seed-eating

passerine A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by th ...

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

s with a distinctively conical bill. Most are

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known a ...

and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the souther ...

n birds that were formerly placed in the

American sparrow New World sparrows are a group of mainly New World passerine birds, forming the family Passerellidae. They are seed-eating birds with conical bills, brown or gray in color, and many species have distinctive head patterns. Although they share t ...

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

(Passerellidae), but are now known to be

tanager The tanagers (singular ) comprise the bird family Thraupidae, in the order Passeriformes. The family has a Neotropical distribution and is the second-largest family of birds. It represents about 4% of all avian species and 12% of the Neotrop ...

s (Thraupidae) closely related to

Darwins finches Darwin's finches (also known as the Galápagos finches) are a group of about 18 species of passerine birds. They are well known for their remarkable diversity in beak form and function. They are often classified as the subfamily Geospizinae or t ...

. Indeed, some of the birds listed here seedeaters are closer to these "finches", while the more "true" seedeaters form a clade with some tanagers. A few "atypical" seedeaters are closely related to certain tanagers, many of which (such as the

flowerpiercer ''Diglossa'' is a genus in the family Thraupidae. They are commonly known as flowerpiercers because of their habit of piercing the base of flowers to access nectar that otherwise would be out of reach. This is done with their highly modified bill ...

s) have peculiarly adapted bills. In addition, there are some

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

n passerines called seedeaters. They belong to the

serin ''Serinus'' is a genus of small birds in the finch family Fringillidae found in Europe and Africa. The birds usually have some yellow in their plumage. The genus was introduced in 1816 by the German naturalist Carl Ludwig Koch. Its name is New ...

genus (''Serinus'') of the true finch family (Fringillidae), but might need to be separated with their closest relatives in ''Crithagra''.

American seedeaters

True seedeaters * ''

Amaurospiza ''Amaurospiza'' is a genus of birds in the cardinal family Cardinalidae. 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. The name ...

'' – blue seedeaters (4 species, tentatively placed here) * ''

Dolospingus The white-naped seedeater (''Sporophila fringilloides'') is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. Sometimes classified in the bunting and American sparrow family Emberizidae, more recent studies have shown it to belong in the Thraupidae. ...

'' – white-naped seedeater * ''

Oryzoborus ''Sporophila'' is a genus of Neotropical birds in the tanager family Thraupidae. The genus now includes the six seed finches that were previously placed in the genus ''Oryzoborus''. They are relatively small with stubby, conical bills adapted fo ...

'' – seed-finches (6 species, sometimes included in ''Sporophila'') * ''

Sporophila ''Sporophila'' is a genus of Neotropical birds in the tanager family Thraupidae. The genus now includes the six seed finches that were previously placed in the genus ''Oryzoborus''. They are relatively small with stubby, conical bills adapte ...

'' – typical seedeaters (some 30 species, 1 possibly recently extinct) Related to Darwin's finches * ''

Euneornis The orangequit (''Euneornis campestris'') is a species of passerine bird in the tanager family Thraupidae and is the only member of the genus ''Euneornis''. It is endemic to Jamaica where its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist l ...

'' – orangequit * ''

Loxigilla ''Loxigilla'' is a genus of passerine birds in the tanager family Thraupidae. The two species are both endemic to the Lesser Antilles. Taxonomy The genus ''Loxigilla'' was introduced in 1831 by the French naturalist René Lesson. The type sp ...

'' – Antillean bullfinches (4 species) * '' Loxipasser'' – yellow-shouldered grassquit * '' Melanospiza'' – St. Lucia black finch * ''

Melopyrrha ''Melopyrrha'' is a genus of passerine birds in the tanager family Thraupidae. It is made up of four extant species endemic to the Greater Antilles, along with 1 possibly extinct species from the island of Saint Kitts in the Lesser Antilles ...

'' – Cuban bullfinch * ''

Tiaris The yellow-faced grassquit (''Tiaris olivaceus'') is a passerine bird in the tanager family Thraupidae and is the only member of the genus ''Tiaris''. It is native to the Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. Taxonomy In 1760 the ...

'' – typical grassquits (5 species) NBII Image Gallery -Catamenia inornata-a00269

Atypical seedeaters * '' Acanthidops'' – peg-billed finch * ''

Catamenia Catamenia may refer to: * Catamenia (band), the Finnish melodic black metal band * Catamenia, the female menstrual The menstrual cycle is a series of natural changes in hormone production and the structures of the uterus and ovaries of the fe ...

'' (3 species) * ''

Haplospiza '' Haplospiza '' is a small genus of birds in the tanager family Thraupidae. Formerly classified in the bunting and American sparrow family Emberizidae, more recent studies have shown it to belong in the Thraupidae. Its two members breed in subtr ...

'' (2 species) Relatives of true seedeaters These tanagers are the true seedeaters' closest relatives: * '' Charitospiza'' – coal-crested finch * ''

Lophospingus ''Lophospingus'' is a small genus of South American birds in the tanager family Thraupidae. These finches are mostly gray and have prominent upstanding crests. They live in open habitats in southern South America. Taxonomy and species list The ...

'' (2 species) * ''

Sicalis ''Sicalis'' is a genus of birds in the tanager family Thraupidae. Sometimes classified in the bunting and American sparrow family Emberizidae, more recent studies have shown it to belong in the Thraupidae. Taxonomy and species list The genus '' ...

'' – yellow-finches (12 species) * ''

Volatinia The blue-black grassquit (''Volatinia jacarina'') is a small Neotropical bird in the tanager family, Thraupidae. It is the only member of the genus ''Volatinia''. It is a common and widespread bird that breeds from southern Mexico through Cent ...

'' – blue-black grassquit

African seedeaters

Streaky-headed Seedeater (Serinus gularis)

Southern yellow-rumped seedeater The black-throated canary (''Crithagra atrogularis''), also known as the black-throated seedeater, is a species of finch in the family Fringillidae. Distribution It is found frequently in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Republic of the Congo, Democ ...

, ''Serinus atrogularis'' *

Thick-billed seedeater The thick-billed seedeater (''Crithagra burtoni'') is a species of finch in the family Fringillidae. It is found in Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. The thick-billed seed ...

, ''Serinus burtoni'' * Lemon-breasted seedeater, ''Serinus citrinipectus'' *

Yellow-throated seedeater The yellow-throated seedeater (''Crithagra flavigula'') is a species of finch in the family Fringillidae. It is found only in Ethiopia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassla ...

, ''Serinus flavigula'' *

Streaky-headed seedeater The streaky-headed seedeater or streaky-headed canary (''Crithagra gularis'') is a small passerine bird in the finch family. It is an unobtrusive but widespread species in suitable habitats of southern Africa. Its presence in an area is revealed ...

, ''Serinus gularis'' *

Protea seedeater The protea canary (''Crithagra leucoptera''), also known as the protea seedeater, white-winged seedeater or Layard's seedeater, is a small passerine bird in the finch family. Taxonomy The protea canary was formerly placed in the genus ''Serinus' ...

, ''Serinus leucopterus'' *

White-rumped seedeater The white-rumped seedeater (''Crithagra leucopygia'') is a species of finch in the family Fringillidae. It is found throughout the Sahel and the eastern part of the Sudan region. Its natural habitat is dry savanna. It is known elsewhere and in a ...

, ''Serinus leucopygius'' *

Black-eared seedeater The black-eared seedeater (''Crithagra mennelli'') is a species of finch in the family Fringillidae. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Z ...

, ''Serinus mennelli'' *

Reichard's seedeater Reichard's seedeater (''Crithagra reichardi'') is a species of finch in the family Fringillidae. It is native to the miombo savanna (mainly Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamh ...

, ''Serinus reichardi'' * Principe seedeater, ''Serinus rufobrunneus'' *

Streaky seedeater The streaky seedeater (''Crithagra striolata'') is a species of finch in the family Fringillidae. It is found in Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. Phylogeny ...

, ''Serinus striolatus'' * Brown-rumped seedeater, ''Serinus tristriatus'' * Abyssinian yellow-rumped seedeater, ''Serinus xanthopygius''

External links

Fringillidae
an
Emberizidae
videos, photos & sounds on the Internet Bird Collection Bird common names