Uraeginthus is a genus of small seed-eating birds in the family Estrildidae that are found in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Uraeginthus
Red-cheeked cordon-bleu (Uraeginthus bengalus)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Estrildidae
Genus: Uraeginthus
Cabanis, 1851
Type species
Fringilla bengalus[1]
Linnaeus, 1766

The genus was introduced by the German ornithologist Jean Cabanis in 1851.[2] The type species was subsequently designated as the red-cheeked cordon-bleu.[3] The name Uraeginthus combines the Ancient Greek words oura "tail" and aiginthos for an unknown bird, perhaps a finch.[4]

Species

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It contains the following three species:[5]

Genus Uraeginthus Cabanis, 1851 – three species
Common name Scientific name and subspecies Range Size and ecology IUCN status and estimated population
Blue waxbill

 
Male
 
Female

Uraeginthus angolensis
(Linnaeus, 1758)

Three subspecies
Cabinda and the Congo to Kenya and Tanzania in the east south to northern South Africa Size:

Habitat:

Diet:
 LC 


Red-cheeked cordon-bleu

 
Male
 
Female

Uraeginthus bengalus
(Linnaeus, 1766)

Four subspecies
  • U. b. bengalus (Linnaeus, 1766)
  • U. b. brunneigularis Mearns, 1911
  • U. b. ugogensis Reichenow, 1911
  • U. b. katangae Vincent, 1934
Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Angola, south Democratic Republic of the Congo and north Zambia Size:

Habitat:

Diet:
 LC 


Blue-capped cordon-bleu

 

Uraeginthus cyanocephalus
(Richmond, 1897)
Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, and Tanzania in East Africa Size:

Habitat:

Diet:
 LC 


References

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  1. ^ "Estrildidae". aviansystematics.org. The Trust for Avian Systematics. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
  2. ^ Cabanis, Jean; Heine, Ferdinand (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. 171.
  3. ^ Paynter, Raymond A. Jr, ed. (1968). Check-list of birds of the world. Vol. 14. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. pp. 331–332.
  4. ^ Jobling, J.A. (2018). del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J.; Christie, D.A.; de Juana, E. (eds.). "Key to Scientific Names in Ornithology". Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  5. ^ 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 13 July 2021.