Contents

Carduelinae

Eukaryota

Animalia

Chordata

Aves

Passeriformes

Fringillidae

Carduelinae
Vigors, 1825

The cardueline finches are a subfamily, Carduelinae, one of three subfamilies of the finch family Fringillidae, the others being the Fringillinae and the Euphoniinae. The Hawaiian honeycreepers are now included in this subfamily.^[1] Except for the Hawaiian honeycreepers which underwent adaptive radiation in Hawaii and have evolved a broad range of diets, cardueline finches are specialised seed eaters, and unlike most passerine birds, they feed their young mostly on seeds, which are regurgitated.^[2] Besides this, they differ from the other finches in some minor details of their skull.^[2] They are adept at opening seeds and clinging to stems, unlike other granivorous birds, such as sparrows and buntings, which feed mostly on fallen seeds.^[3] Some members of this subfamily are further specialised to feed on a particular type of seed, such as cones in the case of crossbills.^[2] Carduelines forage in flocks throughout the year, rather than keeping territories, and males defend their females rather than a territory or nest.^[4]

The name Carduelina[e] for the subfamily was introduced by the Irish zoologist Nicholas Aylward Vigors in 1825.^[5][6] Carduelinae is derived from the Latin name carduelis and the binomial name Carduelis carduelis for a goldfinch, one of the species in the subfamily.^[7]

List of genera[edit]

The Carduelinae subfamily contains 186 species divided into 49 genera. Of the 186 species, 15 are now extinct; these are the Bonin grosbeak and 14 Hawaiian honeycreepers.^[8]

• Mycerobas – contains four Asian grosbeaks
• Hesperiphona – contains two American grosbeaks, the evening grosbeak and the hooded grosbeak
• Coccothraustes – contains a single species, the hawfinch
• Eophona – contains the two oriental grosbeaks, the Chinese and the Japanese grosbeak
• Pinicola – contains a single species, the pine grosbeak
• Pyrrhula – contains the eight bullfinch species
• Rhodopechys – contains two species, the Asian crimson-winged finch and the African crimson-winged finch
• Bucanetes – contains the trumpeter and the Mongolian finch
• Agraphospiza – contains a single species, Blanford's rosefinch
• Callacanthis – contains a single species, the spectacled finch
• Pyrrhoplectes – contains a single species, the golden-naped finch
• Procarduelis – contains a single species, the dark-breasted rosefinch
• Leucosticte – contains six species of mountain and rosy finches
• Carpodacus – contains the 28 Palearctic rosefinch species
• Hawaiian honeycreeper group (formerly a separate family, Drepanididae)
  • †Melamprosops – contains a single extinct species, the poo-uli
  • Paroreomyza – contains three species, the Oahu alauahio, the Maui alauahio and the extinct kakawahie
  • Oreomystis – contains a single species, the akikiki
  • Telespiza – contains two species, the Laysan finch and the Nihoa finch
  • Loxioides – contains a single species, the palila
  • †Rhodacanthis – contains two extinct species, the lesser and the greater koa finch
  • †Chloridops – contains a single extinct species, the Kona grosbeak
  • Psittirostra – contains a single possibly extinct species, the ou
  • †Dysmorodrepanis – contains a single extinct species, the Lanai hookbill
  • Drepanis – contains two extinct species, the Hawaii mamo and the black mamo, and the extant iiwi
  • †Ciridops – contains a single extinct species, the Ula-ai-hawane
  • Palmeria – contains a single species, the akohekohe
  • Himatione – contains two species, the apapane and the extinct Laysan honeycreeper
  • †Viridonia – contains a single extinct species, the greater amakihi
  • †Akialoa – contains six extinct species
  • Hemignathus – contains five species, only one of which is extant, with two being possibly extinct
  • Pseudonestor – contains a single species, the Maui parrotbill
  • Magumma – contains a single species, the anianiau
  • Loxops – contains five species, of which one is extinct and one possibly extinct
  • Chlorodrepanis – contains three species, the Hawaii, Oahu and Kauai amakihi
  • †Orthiospiza – contains a single extinct species, the highland finch
  • †Vangulifer – contains two extinct species
  • †Xestospiza – contains two extinct species
• Haemorhous – contains the three North America rosefinches
• Chloris – contains the six greenfinches
• Rhodospiza – contains a single species, the desert finch
• Rhynchostruthus – contains the three golden-winged grosbeaks
• Linurgus – contains a single species, the oriole finch
• Crithagra – contains 37 species of canaries, serins and siskins from Africa and the Arabian Peninsula
• Linaria – contains four species including the twite and three linnets
• Acanthis – contains three redpolls
• Loxia – contains six crossbills
• Chrysocorythus – contains two species, the Indonesian serin and the Mindanao serin
• Carduelis – contains three species including the European goldfinch
• Serinus – contains eight species including the European serin
• Spinus – contains 20 species including the North American goldfinches and the Eurasian siskin

References[edit]

Literature cited[edit]

• Groth, Jeffrey G. (2001). "Finches and Allies". In Elphick, Chris; Dunning, John B. Jr.; Sibley, David Allen (eds.). The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. pp. 552–560. ISBN 978-1-4000-4386-6.
• Newton, Ian (1973). Finches. The New Naturalist Library 55. New York: Taplinger. ISBN 0-8008-2720-1.