Parrotfinch
Genus of birds
title: "Parrotfinch" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["erythrura", "taxa-named-by-william-swainson"] description: "Genus of birds" topic_path: "general/erythrura" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parrotfinch" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Genus of birds ::
| name = Parrotfinches | image = Red-throated Parrotfinch.jpg | image_caption = Red-throated parrotfinch (Erythrura psittacea) | taxon = Erythrura | authority = Swainson, 1837 | type_species = Erythura viridis = Loxia prasina | type_species_authority = Swainson, 1837 | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = See text
Parrotfinches are small, colourful passerine birds belonging to the genus Erythrura in the family Estrildidae, the estrildid finches. They occur from Southeast Asia to northeastern Australia, Melanesia and Samoa. They inhabit forest, bamboo thickets and grassland and some can be found in man-made habitats such as farmland, parks and gardens. Several species are commonly kept as cagebirds.
They are 9 to(-) long. The plumage is usually mainly green. Most species have blue or red markings on the head and a red rump and tail. The tail is pointed and often fairly long.
Seeds, especially those of grasses, comprise the bulk of the diet. Some parrotfinches also feed on fruit and small insects. Many species forage in flocks, keeping in contact with high-pitched calls.
Three species, the green-faced, royal and pink-billed parrotfinches, are classed as vulnerable to extinction because of habitat loss and degradation.
Taxonomy
The genus Erythrura was introduced in 1837 by the English naturalist William Swainson to accommodate the pin-tailed parrotfinch. Swainson misspelled the genus name as "Erythura". The name combines the Ancient Greek eruthros meaning "red" with -ouros meaning "-tailed". The genus Erythrura is sister to the Gouldian finch which is placed in its own genus Chloebia and together the two genera form the subfamily Erythrurinae.
The cladogram shown below is based on a molecular phylogenetic study of the Erythrura parrotfinches published in 2023. The Papuan parrotfinch (E. papuana) was found to embedded within the broadly distributed blue-faced parrotfinch (E. trichroa). |label1=Erythrura |1={{clade |1=Pink-billed parrotfinch (E. kleinschmidti) |2={{clade |1={{clade |1=Pin-tailed parrotfinch (E. prasina) |2={{clade |1=Green-faced parrotfinch (E. viridifacies) |2=Tawny-breasted parrotfinch (E. hyperythra) |2={{clade |1=Red-throated parrotfinch (E. psittacea) |2={{clade |1={{clade |1=Red-headed parrotfinch (E. cyaneovirens) |2={{clade |1=Fiji parrotfinch (E. pealii) |2=Royal parrotfinch (E. regia) |2={{clade |1=Tricolored parrotfinch (E. tricolor) |2={{clade |1=Red-eared parrotfinch (E. coloria) |2=Blue-faced parrotfinch (E. trichroa), Papuan parrotfinch (E. papuana)
Species
The genus contains 12 species. ::data[format=table]
| Image | Scientific name | Common name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| [[File:Pin-tailed Parrotfinch, Kaeng Krachan 2.jpg | 120px]] | Pin-tailed parrotfinch | Erythrura prasina |
| Green-faced parrotfinch | Erythrura viridifacies | northern Philippines (Cebu, Luzon, Mindoro, Negros and Panay) | |
| [[File:Tawny-breasted Parrotfinch.JPG | 120px]] | Tawny-breasted parrotfinch or green-tailed parrotfinch | Erythrura hyperythra |
| [[File:Roodkoppapegaaiamadine.JPG | 120px]] | Red-throated parrotfinch | Erythrura psittacea |
| [[File:Fijiparrotfinch savusavu jun08.JPG | 120px]] | Fiji parrotfinch (split from red-headed parrotfinch) | Erythrura pealii |
| Royal parrotfinch (split from red-headed parrotfinch) | Erythrura regia | Vanuatu | |
| Red-headed parrotfinch | Erythrura cyaneovirens | Samoan Islands | |
| [[File:1976.05.02 Pink-billed Parrot-Finch Savura Creek, Fiji 2755.jpg | 120px]] | Pink-billed parrotfinch | Erythrura kleinschmidti |
| [[File:Tricoloured Parrot Finch RWD2.jpg | 120px]] | Tricolored parrotfinch or three-coloured parrotfinch | Erythrura tricolor |
| Red-eared parrotfinch or Mount Katanglad parrotfinch | Erythrura coloria | Mindanao in the Philippines | |
| Papuan parrotfinch | Erythrura papuana | New Guinea | |
| [[File:Blue-faced Parrotfinch (Bird enclosure) Wildlife Habitat Port Douglas, Queensland (31779741700).jpg | 120px]] | Blue-faced parrotfinch | Erythrura trichroa |
| :: |
References
References
- . ["Estrildidae"](https://www.aviansystematics.org/4th-edition-checklist?viewfamilies=191). *The Trust for Avian Systematics*.
- Swainson, William. (1837). "On the Natural History and Classification of Birds". John Taylor.
- (1968). "Check-List of Birds of the World". Museum of Comparative Zoology.
- Jobling, James A.. (2010). "The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names". Christopher Helm.
- (2020). "A comprehensive phylogeny and taxonomic evaluation of the waxbills (Aves: Estrildidae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.
- (2023). "A complete species-level phylogeny of the ''Erythrura'' parrotfinches (Aves: Estrildidae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.
- (July 2021). "Waxbills, parrotfinches, munias, whydahs, Olive Warbler, accentors, pipits". International Ornithologists' Union.
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