White-vented Euphonia

About the White-vented Euphonia

The white-vented euphonia (Euphonia minuta) is a species of bird in the family Fringillidae, the finches and euphonias. It is found from Mexico through much of Central America and in every mainland South American country except Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

The white-vented euphonia was originally described in 1849 with its current binomial Euphonia minuta. The species had earlier been known as Euphonia olivacea but by the principle of priority that binomial was suppressed. The genus Euphonia had long placed in the family Thraupidae, the "true" tanagers. Multiple studies in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries resulted in its being reassigned to its present place in the family Fringillidae.

The white-vented euphonia has two subspecies, the nominate E. m. minuta (Cabanis, 1849) and E. m. humilis (Cabanis, 1861). The white-vented euphonia is about 9 cm (3.5 in) long and weighs about 8 to 11.5 g (0.28 to 0.41 oz). It is a very small euphonia with a short thick bill. The species is sexually dimorphic. Adult males of the nominate subspecies have a small bright yellow forehead; the patch does not reach the eye. The... Wikipedia →