#spot-crowned euphonia

[birdstudies]

December 6, 2023 - Spot-crowned Euphonia (Euphonia imitans) Found in parts of Costa Rica and Panama, these finches live in and around lowland and foothill forests. Foraging in pairs or small flocks, often with other species, they mostly eat small berries, along with larger fruits, nectar, and insects. Pairs build domed nests with side entrances from green moss, rootlets, ferns, and bark strips or fine plant fibers, often in plants growing on branches. Females lay clutches of two or three eggs and incubate them alone.

[lowcountry-gothic]

Male Spot-crowned euphonia enjoying a juicy papaya. This bird has a very limited distribution, in the Pacific forests of West Panama and Costa Rica. Photo by Ignacio Yúfera.

[eiders]

female spot-crowned euphonia

[new-dinosaurs]

Rufiphonia Vázquez-López & Hernández-Baños, 2024 (new genus)

(A male individual of Rufiphonia rufiventris, photographed by Hector Bottai, under CC BY-SA 4.0)

Meaning of name: Not explained by authors, but presumably Rufiphonia = rufous [in Latin] Euphonia [genus of finches including the white-vented euphonia]

Species included: R. rufiventris (rufous-bellied euphonia, type species, previously in Euphonia), R. anneae (tawny-capped euphonia, previously in Euphonia), R. cayennensis (golden-sided euphonia, previously in Euphonia), R. fulvicrissa (fulvous-vented euphonia, previously in Euphonia), R. gouldi (olive-backed euphonia, previously in Euphonia), R. imitans (spot-crowned euphonia, previously in Euphonia), R. mesochrysa (bronze-green euphonia, previously in Euphonia), R. pectoralis (chestnut-bellied euphonia, previously in Euphonia), and R. xanthogaster (orange-bellied euphonia, previously in Euphonia)

Age: Holocene (Meghalayan), extant

Where found: Humid forests in Central and South America

Notes: Rufiphonia is a genus of euphonias, a group of finches from the tropical Americas in which the males tend to be brightly colored. Unlike most other finches, euphonias feed primarily on fruits instead of seeds, and accordingly they generally have less robust beaks than typical finches.

Currently, only two euphonia genera are recognized, Chlorophonia and Euphonia, each containing a large number of species. However, a new study on the evolutionary history of this group suggests splitting Chlorophonia into two distinct genera and Euphonia into three based on their phylogenetic relationships and anatomical differences. For species traditionally classified in Euphonia, the authors propose limiting Euphonia proper to a group of closely related euphonias in which males tend to have a dark blue throat and yellow belly, resurrecting the old name Phonasca for a second group in which males tend to have a yellow throat, and coining the new name Rufiphonia for a third in which both males and females can have rufous patches on the belly, head, or underside of the tail.

Reference: Vázquez-López, M., S.M. Ramírez-Barrera, A.K. Terrones-Ramírez, S.M. Robles-Bello, A. Nieto-Montes de Oca, K. Ruegg, and B.E. Hernández-Baños. 2024. Biogeographic factors contributing to the diversification of Euphoniinae (Aves, Passeriformes, Fringillidae): a phylogenetic and ancestral areas analysis. ZooKeys 1188: 169–195. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.1188.107047

[naturemanmike]

Spot-crowned Euphonia ♂️ photographed at @fincabellavida_cr 📸 🇨🇷 #nature_worldwide_birds #bird_captures #your_best_birds #earthcapture #eye_spy_birds #allmightybirds #birds_fanatic #birdsofinstagram #planetbirds #ip_birds #yourphotographer #birdselite #bestshotz_birds #birds_illife #total_birds #best_birds_of_world #raw_birds #birds_perfection #bbcearth #bestbirdshots #1birdshot #birdfreaks #nuts_about_birds #canonr5 #bird_brilliance #birds_adored #best_birds_of_ig #best_birds_photography #costarica #spotcrownedeuphonia (at Costa Rica) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cj-a2MrrlTH/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[wildlifeworkshops]

A Spot-crowned Euphonia is another colorful #finch from the tropics. This time the female of the species is also colorful! They are only seen in Panama and Costa Rica! #nikon850 #nikonphotography #sigma150600 #birdphotography (at Distrito de Boquete)

[naturemanmike]

Spot-crowned Euphonia ♂️ photographed at @fincabellavida_cr #nature_worldwide_birds #bird_captures #your_best_birds #earthcapture #spotcrownedeuphonia #eye_spy_birds #allmightybirds #birds_fanatic #birdsofinstagram #planetbirds #ip_birds #yourphotographer #birdselite #bestshotz_birds #birds_illife #total_birds #best_birds_of_world #raw_birds #birds_perfection #bbcearth #bestbirdshots #pocket_birds #birdfreaks #nuts_about_birds #sigmaphoto #bird_brilliance #birds_adored #best_birds_of_ig #best_birds_photography #costarica (at Finca Bella Vida Costa Rica) https://www.instagram.com/p/ChmezOsAGgl/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=