Tawny-capped Euphonia

About the Tawny-capped Euphonia

The tawny-capped euphonia (Euphonia anneae) is a species of bird in the family Fringillidae, the finches and euphonias. It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, and Panama. The tawny-capped euphonia was originally described by John Cassin in 1865 with its current binomial Euphonia anneae (though spelled Euphonia Anneae). The specific epithet anneae honors the wife of Cassin's friend, the zoologist Daniel Giraud Elliot. At the time, the genus Euphonia was a member of the family Thraupidae, the "true" tanagers. Multiple studies in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries resulted in Euphonia being reassigned to its present place in the family Fringillidae. The tawny-capped euphonia and the orange-bellied euphonia (E. xanthogaster) form a superspecies.

The tawny-capped euphonia has two subspecies, the nominate E. a. anneae (Cassin, 1865) and E. a. rufiventrix (Salvin, 1866). The tawny-cappeded euphonia is 10 to 11 cm (3.9 to 4.3 in) long and weighs about 15 g (0.53 oz). It is a small euphonia with a thick bill. The species is sexually dimorphic. Adult males of the nominate subspecies have a rich rufous-chestnut crown. The rest of... Wikipedia →