Spinus xanthogastrus

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Archosauromorpha
Cladus: Crurotarsi
Divisio: Archosauria
Cladus: Avemetatarsalia
Cladus: Ornithodira
Subtaxon: Dinosauromorpha
Cladus: Dinosauriformes
Cladus: Dracohors
Cladus: Dinosauria
Ordo: Saurischia
Cladus: Eusaurischia
Subordo: Theropoda
Cladus: Neotheropoda
Cladus: Averostra
Cladus: Tetanurae
Cladus: Avetheropoda
Cladus: Coelurosauria
Cladus: Tyrannoraptora
Cladus: Maniraptoromorpha
Cladus: Maniraptoriformes
Cladus: Maniraptora
Cladus: Pennaraptora
Cladus: Paraves
Cladus: Eumaniraptora
Cladus: Avialae
Infraclassis: Aves
Cladus: Avebrevicauda
Cladus: Pygostylia
Cladus: Ornithothoraces
Cladus: Ornithuromorpha
Cladus: Carinatae
Parvclassis: Neornithes
Cohors: Neognathae
Cladus: Neoaves
Cladus: Telluraves
Cladus: Australaves
Ordo: Passeriformes
Subordo: Passeri
Infraordo: Passerida
Superfamilia: Passeroidea

Familia: Fringillidae
Subfamilia: Carduelinae
Genus: Spinus
Species: Spinus xanthogastrus
Subspecies: S. x. stejnegeri – S. x. xanthogastrus
Name

Spinus xanthogastrus (du Bus de Gisignies, 1855)

Type locality: Ocafia,Colombia.

Synonyms

Chrysomitris xanthogastra (protonym)
Carduelis xanthogastra (du Bus de Gisignies, 1855)
Carduelis xanthogaster (du Bus de Gisignies, 1855)
Spinus xanthogastra (du Bus de Gisignies, 1855)
Spinus xanthogaster (du Bus de Gisignies, 1855)
Sporagra xanthogastra (du Bus de Gisignies, 1855)

References

du Bus de Gisignies, B. 1855. Notes sur quelques espèces inédites d'oiseaux. Bulletins de l'Académie royale des sciences et belles-lettres de Bruxelles. 22 pt1 no.2: 150–156 BHL Reference page. p. 152

Vernacular names
Deutsch: Gelbbauchzeisig
English: Yellow-bellied Siskin
español: Jilguero ventriamarillo
français: Chardonneret à ventre jaune
日本語: キバラクロヒワ

The yellow-bellied siskin (Spinus xanthogastrus) is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It breeds from Costa Rica south to southern Ecuador, central Bolivia and the highlands of northwestern Venezuela. According to phylogenetic studies Spinus notatus is its parental ancestor. [2][3][4]
Description

The yellow-bellied siskin is a small bird, 10.5 cm in length and weighing 12 g. The male is entirely black except for a bright yellow belly, tail sides and wing patches. The female is dark olive green above and has pale yellow underparts which become brighter on the belly. She has a blackish tail and wings and also has bright yellow primary wing patches and tail sides. Young birds resemble the female, but have dusky fringes to the upperpart feathers and smaller yellow wing and tail patches. The song of this bird is a pleasant chattering twitter, and the call is a sharp pyee.

The subspecies S. x. stejnegeri, which occurs from extreme southeastern Peru to central Bolivia, is larger and longer-billed than the nominate subspecies S. x. xanthogastrus. Males have larger yellow wing patches and more extensive black on the flanks. Females of this subspecies are darker olive above than the northern birds.

The yellow-bellied siskin is more of a woodland bird than the superficially similar lesser goldfinch (Spinus psaltria) and the latter species is paler and has a white wing patch and a more musical song.
Behaviour and ecology

The yellow-bellied siskin breeds in mountain oak forests at altitudes between 800–3,000 m. The nest is a shallow cup of rootlets, bark and lichens 2.4–3.7 m high in the dense foliage of a small tree in a clearing. The two or three green-tinged white eggs are laid in April or May and incubated by the female. Although not migratory, this species wanders within its range when not breeding.

The yellow-bellied siskin has been relentlessly persecuted for the cage-bird trade in some areas, such as central Costa Rica. Where it remains common, in remote or protected areas, flocks of up to 30 birds forage in the canopy for small insects and oak flowers, or descend to clearings for seeds. The males may sing socially.
References

BirdLife International (2020). "Spinus xanthogastrus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T22720398A163566073. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22720398A163566073.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
Arnaiz-Villena; Areces; Rey; Enríquez-de-Salamanca; Ruiz-del-Valle (2012). "Three Different North American Siskin/Goldfinch Evolutionary Radiations (Genus Carduelis): Pine Siskin Green Morphs and European Siskins in America". Molecular Biology. 5: 73–81.
Arnaiz-Villena; Gomez-Prieto; Ruiz-del-Valle (2009). "Chapter 10: Pylogeography of finches and Sparrows". Animal Genetics. Vol. 5. Nova Science Publishers. ISBN 978-1-60741-844-3.

Zamora; Moscoso; Ruiz-del-Valle; Lowy; Serrano-Vela; Ira-Cachafeiro; Arnaiz-Villena (2006). "Conjoint mitochondrial phylogenetic trees for canaries Serinus spp. and goldfinches Carduelis spp. show several specific polytomies". Ardeola. 53: 1–17.

Other sources

Clement, Harris and Davis, Finches and Sparrows ISBN 0-7136-8017-2
Hilty, Birds of Venezuela, ISBN 0-7136-6418-5
Stiles and Skutch, A guide to the birds of Costa Rica ISBN 0-8014-9600-4