Bluebill

For the Australian duck, see Blue-billed duck. For the American duck, see Greater scaup. For the plant, see Clematis pitcheri.

Bluebills
Western bluebill (Spermophaga haematina)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Estrildidae
Genus:
Swainson, 1837
Type species
Spermophaga cyanorynchus Swainson, 1837=Loxia haematina Vieillot, 1807
Species

S. poliogenys
S. haematina
S. ruficapilla

The bluebills are the genus Spermophaga of the estrildid finches family. These birds are found in tropical Africa. They are gregarious seed eaters with short, thick, blue and red bills. All have plumage which is mainly crimson and black or dark grey.

Taxonomy

The genus Spermophaga was introduced in 1837 by the English zoologist William Swainson to accommodate a single species Spermophaga cyanorhynchus Swainson.[1] This taxon is now treated as a junior synonym of Loxia haematina that had been described by Louis Pierre Vieillot in 1807, the western bluebill.[2][3] The genus name combines the Ancient Greek σπερμα/sperma, σπερματος/spermatos meaning "seed" with -φαγος/-phagos meaning "-eating".[4]

Species

The genus contains three species:[3]

Image Common Name Scientific name Distribution
Grant's bluebill Spermophaga poliogenys Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.
Western bluebill Spermophaga haematina Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.
Red-headed bluebill Spermophaga ruficapilla Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.


References

  1. ^ Swainson, William (1837). Jardine, William (ed.). The Natural History of the Birds of Western Africa. Part I. The Naturalist's Library. Vol. 11. Edinburgh: W.H. Lizars. p. 164.
  2. ^ Paynter, Raymond A. Jr, ed. (1968). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 14. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 321.
  3. ^ a b Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (February 2025). "Waxbills, parrotfinches, munias, whydahs, Olive Warbler, accentors, pipits". IOC World Bird List Version 15.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  4. ^ Jobling, James A. "Spermophaga". The Key to Scientific Names. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  • Clement, Harris and Davis, Finches and Sparrows ISBN 0-7136-8017-2
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