Amadina | |
---|---|
Cut-throat finch (Amadina fasciata) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Estrildidae |
Genus: |
Amadina Swainson, 1827 |
Type species | |
Loxia fasciata ( Cut-throat finch)
Gmelin, JF, 1789
| |
Species | |
Amadina is a genus of estrildid finches that are found in Africa.
The genus Amadina was introduced in 1827 by the English naturalist William John Swainson with the cut-throat finch as the type species. [1] The name Amadina is a corrupted diminutive of the genus name Ammodramus, the genus of several American sparrows. Swainson thought the cut-throat finch formed a link between that genus and the genus Estrilda, and created the name to reflect that linkage. [2]
The genus contains two species: [3]
Image | Common Name | Scientific name | Distribution |
---|---|---|---|
Cut-throat finch | Amadina fasciata | Sub-Saharan Africa | |
Red-headed finch | Amadina erythrocephala | Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe. |