Stagonopleura is a genus of small seed-eating birds in the family Estrildidae that are native to Australia.
| Stagonopleura | |
|---|---|
| |
| Beautiful firetail (Stagonopleura bella) | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Estrildidae |
| Genus: | Stagonopleura Reichenbach, 1850 |
| Type species | |
| Loxia guttata diamond firetail Shaw, 1796
| |
| Species | |
|
S. bella | |
The species are similar in appearance, with short red bills, brown upperparts, red rumps and uppertail coverts, and barred or spotted underparts. The informal name of firetails refers to the rich crimson colour at the rump, a prominent characteristic of the genus.[1]
Taxonomy
editThe genus Stagonopleura was introduced by the German naturalist Ludwig Reichenbach in 1850.[2] The genus name combines the Ancient Greek stagōn meaning "spot" with pleura meaning "side" or "flank".[3] The type species was designated as the diamond firetail in 1851 by Jean Cabanis.[4][5]
Species
editThe three species in the genus are:[6]
| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diamond firetail
|
Stagonopleura guttata (Shaw, 1796) |
Eastern Australia from the Eyre Peninsula, South Australia, to south-eastern Queensland, often on the slopes of the Great Dividing Range | Size: Habitat: Diet: |
VU
|
| Beautiful firetail
|
Stagonopleura bella (Latham, 1801) |
Southeast of Australia; Tasmania
|
Size: Habitat: Diet: |
LC
|
| Red-eared firetail
|
Stagonopleura oculata (Quoy & Gaimard, 1832) |
Southwest Australia
|
Size: Habitat: Diet: |
LC
|
References
edit- ^ Forshaw, Joseph Michael; Shephard, Mark (2012). Grassfinches in Australia. CSIRO. pp. 48, 76. ISBN 9780643096349.
- ^ Reichenbach, Ludwig (1850). Avium Systema Naturale (in German). Vol. 1. Dresden and Leipzig: Expedition Vollständigsten Naturgeschichte. Plate LXXV.
- ^ Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 364. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
- ^ Cabanis, Jean (1850–1851). Museum Heineanum : Verzeichniss der ornithologischen Sammlung des Oberamtmann Ferdinand Heine, auf Gut St. Burchard vor Halberstadt (in German and Latin). Vol. 1. Halberstadt: R. Frantz. p. 172.
- ^ Paynter, Raymond A. Jr, ed. (1968). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 14. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 353.
- ^ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (July 2021). "Waxbills, parrotfinches, munias, whydahs, Olive Warbler, accentors, pipits". IOC World Bird List Version 11.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
Further reading
edit- Clement, Harris and Davis, Finches and Sparrows ISBN 0-7136-8017-2
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