Pipilo
| Pipilo | |
|---|---|
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| Spotted towhee (Pipilo maculatus) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Emberizidae |
| Genus: | Pipilo Vieillot, 1816 |
| Species | |
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See text | |
Pipilo is a genus of birds in the family Emberizidae (which also includes the buntings, American sparrows, and juncos). It is one of two genera of birds usually identified as towhees.
There has been considerable debate over the taxonomy of towhees in recent years. Two species complexes have been identified, the rufous-sided complex (involving Pipilo erythrophthalmus, P. maculatus, P. socorroensis, P. ocai and P. chlorurus), and the brown towhee complex (involving Melozone crissalis, M. fuscus, M. aberti and M. albicollis). The distinction of species within these is uncertain and opinions have differed over the years. Modern authorities distinguish all four species in the brown towhee complex, though M. fuscus and M. crissalis were formerly treated as a single species. Hybrids are frequent between some of the species, particularly between the Mexican races of P. maculatus (olive-backed towhee, P. maculatus macronyx) and P. ocai.
Species list:
- Collared Towhee, Pipilo ocai
- Green-tailed Towhee, Pipilo chlorurus
- Spotted Towhee, Pipilo maculatus
- Olive-backed Towhee, Pipilo maculatus macronyx
- Socorro Towhee, Pipilo maculatus socorroensis
- Eastern Towhee, Pipilo erythrophthalmus
- Bermuda Towhee, Pipilo naufragus
References[edit]
- "ITIS Report: Pipilo". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
- Zink, Robert M.; Dittmann, Donna L. (1991). "Evolution of Brown Towhees: Mitochondrial DNA Evidence" (PDF). Condor. 93 (1): 98–105. doi:10.2307/1368611.
- Olson, Storrs L.; Wingate, David B. (2012). "A new species of towhee Aves: Emberizidae: Pipilo) from the Quaternary deposits on Bermuda". Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 125 (1): 85–96. doi:10.2988/11-21.1.
External links[edit]
- Towhee videos, photos and sounds on the Internet Bird Collection
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This article is part of Project Bird Genera, a All Birds project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each genus, including made-up genera. |
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