''Idiopsar'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

Neotropical The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone. Definition In bioge ...

seed-eating birds in the tanager family

Thraupidae The tanagers (singular ) comprise the bird family Thraupidae, in the order Passeriformes. The family has a Neotropical distribution and is the second-largest family of birds. It represents about 4% of all avian species and 12% of the Neotropica ...

Taxonomy and species list

The genus ''Idiopsar'' was introduced in 1867 by the American ornithologist

John Cassin John Cassin (September 6, 1813 – January 10, 1869) was an American ornithologist from Pennsylvania. He worked as curator and Vice President at the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences and focused on the systemic classification of the Acade ...

to accommodate the newly described boulder finch. The name combines the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...

''idios'' meaning "distinct" or "peculiar" with ''psar'' meaning "starling". This genus formerly contained a single species, the boulder finch. A

molecular phylogenetic Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...

study of the tanager family (

) published in 2014 found that the boulder finch was a member of a

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, ...

that contained three species assigned to other genera. In the ensuing reorganization of generic boundaries, these three species were assigned to ''Idiopsar''. The same genetic study found that ''Idiopsar'' is

sister A sister is a woman or a girl who shares one or more parents with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to ...

to the tit-like dacnis in the

monospecific In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

genus ''Xenodacnis''. The genus contains four species. * Red-backed sierra finch, ''Idiopsar dorsalis'' (formerly assigned to ''

Phrygilus ''Phrygilus'' is a genus of mainly Andean seed-eating tanagers commonly known as sierra finches. Phrygilos means finch in Ancient Greek. Traditionally classified in the bunting and American sparrow family Emberizidae, more recent studies hav ...

''; alternatively placed in ''Ephippiospingus'') * White-throated sierra finch, ''Idiopsar erythronotus'' (formerly assigned to ''Phrygilus''; alternatively placed in ''Ephippiospingus'') *

Glacier finch The glacier finch (''Idiopsar speculifer''), also known as the white-winged diuca finch and glacier bird, is a species of bird in the tanager family Thraupidae. It is found in Peru, Bolivia and far northern Chile and Argentina. Its natural habi ...

(formerly white-winged diuca finch), ''Idiopsar speculifer'' (formerly assigned to ''

Diuca The diuca finch (''Diuca diuca'') is a species of bird in the tanager family Thraupidae. It is the only member of the genus ''Diuca''. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropic ...

''; alternatively placed in ''Chionodacryon'') * Boulder finch (formerly short-tailed finch), ''Idiopsar brachyurus''

References

Bird genera {{Thraupidae-stub