Nigrita (bird)
Genus of birds
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The nigritas, formerly called negrofinches, are small passerine birds belonging to the genus Nigrita in the estrildid finch family Estrildidae. There are four species which occur across the African tropical rainforest.
| Nigrita | |
|---|---|
| |
| Grey-headed nigrita (N. canicapillus) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Estrildidae |
| Genus: | Nigrita Strickland, 1843 |
| Type species | |
| Aethiops canicapillus Strickland, 1841 | |
| Species | |
| |
They are 10–15 cm (3.9–5.9 in) long. The bill is short and black and is fairly slender in some species. The colour of the plumage varies but all have a dark tail. The upperparts are grey or brown and the underparts are black, grey, white or reddish brown. The grey-headed nigrita and male pale-fronted nigrita have a black face and the white-breasted nigrita has a black cap. Nigritas have whistling or trilling songs and calls.
They feed on insects, fruit and seeds. They often forage high in the treetops, usually alone or in pairs.
Taxonomy
The genus Negrita was introduced in 1843 by the English naturalist Hugh Edwin Strickland as a replacement name for Aethiops.[1] Strickland had introduced the genus Aethiops in 1841 in the combination Aethiops canicapillus for the grey-headed nigrita.[2] The name Aethiops was pre-occupied as it had been used earlier in 1841 by William Martin for a genus of monkeys. The type species is Aethiops canicapillus Strickland, by monotypy.[3] The genus name Negrita is from Modern Latin negritus meaning "black".[4]
Species list
The genus contains four species:[5]
| Image | Scientific name | Common name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Nigrita fusconotus | White-breasted nigrita | widespread |
_Ankasa.jpg) | Nigrita bicolor | Chestnut-breasted nigrita | widespread |
| Nigrita luteifrons | Pale-fronted nigrita | widespread | |
.jpg) | Nigrita canicapillus | Grey-headed nigrita | widespread |
