Crithagra is a genus of small passerine birds in the finch family (Fringillidae). They live in Africa and Arabia.

Crithagra
Male brimstone canary (Crithagra sulphurata sharpii)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Fringillidae
Subfamily: Carduelinae
Genus: Crithagra
Swainson, 1827
Type species
Loxia sulphurata[1]
Linnaeus, 1766
Species

See text

The species in this genus were formerly assigned to the genus Serinus, but phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences found that the genus was polyphyletic.[2] It was therefore split into two monophyletic genera. Eight species, including the European serin (Serinus serinus), were retained in Serinus, while the other species were assigned to the resurrected genus Crithagra.[3]

Species

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The genus was introduced in 1827 by the English ornithologist William John Swainson.[4] The type species was subsequently designated as the brimstone canary.[5] The name comes from the classical Greek krithē for "barley" and agra for "hunting".[6]

The genus contains 37 species:[3]

Image Common name Scientific Name Distribution
  Príncipe seedeater Crithagra rufobrunnea São Tomé and Príncipe
São Tomé grosbeak Crithagra concolor São Tomé
  African citril Crithagra citrinelloides Ethiopia, Eritrea to western Kenya.
  Western citril Crithagra frontalis central Africa
  Southern citril Crithagra hyposticta South Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia and Malawi.
  Black-faced canary Crithagra capistrata Angola, Burundi, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, and Zambia.
  Papyrus canary Crithagra koliensis Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda
  Forest canary Crithagra scotops Cameroon, Congo, and Kenya.
  White-rumped seedeater Crithagra leucopygia Sudan
  Black-throated canary Crithagra atrogularis Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Kenya, Lesotho, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Yellow-rumped seedeater Crithagra xanthopygia Eritrea, Kenya and Ethiopia.
  Reichenow's seedeater Crithagra reichenowi eastern Africa
  Arabian serin Crithagra rothschildi western Saudi Arabia and Yemen
Yellow-throated seedeater Crithagra flavigula Ethiopia.
  Salvadori's seedeater Crithagra xantholaema Ethiopia.
  Lemon-breasted canary Crithagra citrinipectus Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
  Yellow-fronted canary Crithagra mozambica Africa south of the Sahara Desert.
  White-bellied canary Crithagra dorsostriata Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Ankober serin Crithagra ankoberensis Ethiopia
  Yemen serin Crithagra menachensis Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen.
  Cape siskin Crithagra totta South Africa.
  Drakensberg siskin Crithagra symonsi South Africa,
Northern grosbeak-canary Crithagra donaldsoni Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia.
  Southern grosbeak-canary Crithagra buchanani Kenya and Tanzania.
  Yellow canary Crithagra flaviventris southern Africa
  Brimstone canary Crithagra sulphurata central and southern Africa.
  Stripe-breasted seedeater Crithagra striatipectus[7] Sudan, Ethiopia, and Kenya.
Reichard's seedeater Crithagra reichardi Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania
  Streaky-headed seedeater Crithagra gularis southern Africa.
West African seedeater Crithagra canicapilla Guinea, Sierra Leone, southern Mali and northern Ivory Coast across to southern Niger and northern Cameroon
  Black-eared seedeater Crithagra mennelli Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
  Brown-rumped seedeater Crithagra tristriata Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia.
  White-throated canary Crithagra albogularis Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, and South Africa.
  Thick-billed seedeater Crithagra burtoni Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda.
  Streaky seedeater Crithagra striolata Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.
Yellow-browed seedeater Crithagra whytii Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia.
Kipengere seedeater Crithagra melanochroa Tanzania
  Protea canary Crithagra leucoptera South Africa.

References

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  1. ^ "Fringillidae". aviansystematics.org. The Trust for Avian Systematics. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
  2. ^ Zuccon, Dario; Prŷs-Jones, Robert; Rasmussen, Pamela C.; Ericson, Per G.P. (2012). "The phylogenetic relationships and generic limits of finches (Fringillidae)" (PDF). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 62 (2): 581–596. Bibcode:2012MolPE..62..581Z. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2011.10.002. PMID 22023825.
  3. ^ a b Gill, Frank; Donsker, David (eds.). "Finches, euphonias". World Bird List Version 5.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  4. ^ Swainson, William (1827). "On several forms in ornithology not hitherto defined". Zoological Journal. 3: 348.
  5. ^ Dickinson, E.C.; Christidis, L., eds. (2014). The Howard & Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World. Vol. 2: Passerines (4th ed.). Eastbourne, UK: Aves Press. p. 329. ISBN 978-0-9568611-2-2.
  6. ^ Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 122. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
  7. ^ "Species Updates – IOC World Bird List". Retrieved 2021-06-18.