Jameson's antpecker
Species of bird
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jameson's antpecker (Parmoptila jamesoni) is a songbird species found in central Africa. Like all antpeckers, it is tentatively placed in the estrildid finch family (Estrildidae). It has traditionally been included as a subspecies of P. rubrifrons (red-fronted antpecker) and the common name Jameson's antpecker was sometimes used for both taxa. But today, they are often considered distinct species.
| Jameson's antpecker | |
|---|---|
| Adult male near Bwindi (Uganda) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Estrildidae |
| Genus: | Parmoptila |
| Species: | P. jamesoni |
| Binomial name | |
| Parmoptila jamesoni (Shelley, 1890) | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Parmoptila rubrifrons jamesoni | |
Jameson's antpecker inhabits tropical lowland moist forest in Uganda, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. When Jameson's and the red-fronted antpeckers were still evaluated as one species, they were classified as a species of least concern by the IUCN.[2] Unlike its western relative which is declining noticeably, P. jamesoni is still common and widespread. Therefore, its status has not changed after its elevation to a full species.[3]
Jameson's antpecker is named after James Sligo Jameson. Given Jameson's violent behavior[4] in Africa, ornithologists have suggested changing the common name of this species.
