''Cardellina'' is a
genus of
passerine birds in the
New World warbler family Parulidae. The genus name ''Cardellina'' is a diminutive of the Italian dialect word ''Cardella'' for the
European goldfinch.
The genus was introduced by the French naturalist
Charles Lucien Bonaparte
Charles Lucien Jules Laurent Bonaparte, 2nd Prince of Canino and Musignano (24 May 1803 – 29 July 1857), was a French naturalist and ornithologist. Lucien and his wife had twelve children, including Cardinal Lucien Bonaparte.
Life and career
...
in 1850. The
type species was subsequently designated as the
red-faced warbler
The red-faced warbler (''Cardellina rubrifrons'') is a species of New World warbler.
Mature red-faced warblers are small birds, long. They are light gray on top with a white rump and a white underside. The face, neck, and upper breast are all b ...
.
The genus originally contained one species, the red-faced warbler. A comprehensive study of the wood-warblers published in 2010 that analysed mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences found that the five species formed a discrete
clade
A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...
, with the Wilson's and Canada warblers as early offshoots, followed by a lineage that gave rise to two branches - one leading to the red-faced and another that diverged to the red and pink-headed warblers.
List of species
The following five species are currently recognized.
References
Bird genera
Taxa named by Charles Lucien Bonaparte
{{Parulidae-stub