Spermestes
Genus of birds
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Spermestes is a genus of small seed-eating birds in the family Estrildidae. They are distributed across Sub-Saharan Africa.
| Spermestes | |
|---|---|
| |
| Bronze mannikin (Spermestes cucullata) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Estrildidae |
| Genus: | Spermestes Swainson, 1837 |
| Type species | |
| Spermestes cucullata bronze mannikin Swainson, 1837 | |
| Species | |
|
See text | |
Taxonomy
The genus Spermestes was introduced in 1837 by the English naturalist William Swainson to accommodate the bronze mannikin.[1] The name combines the Ancient Greek sperma meaning "seed" and -estēs meaning "-eater".[2]
Based on the results of a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2020, this genus was resurrected for a clade of species that were formerly assigned to the genera Lonchura and Odontospiza.[3][4]
Species
The genus contains four species:[4]
| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grey-headed silverbill
|
Spermestes griseicapilla (Delacour, 1943) |
eastern Africa |
Size: Habitat: Diet: |
LC
|
| Bronze mannikin
|
Spermestes cucullata Swainson, 1837 |
Africa south of the Sahara Desert |
Size: Habitat: Diet: |
LC
|
| Magpie mannikin
|
Spermestes fringilloides (Lafresnaye, 1835) |
Sub-Saharan Africa | Size: Habitat: Diet: |
LC
|
| Black-and-white mannikin
|
Spermestes bicolor (Fraser, 1843) Four subspecies
|
African tropical rainforest |
Size: Habitat: Diet: |
LC
|
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