CARDUELINE FINCHES

Most Cardueline Finches (Carduelinae) are Palearctic, but also many Nearctic and Afrotropical, and various Neotropical, Oriental, and even Australasian (Sulawesi, Hawaii).

Taxonomic evolution

The most finches are in the Carduelini tribe.

While the European Greenfinch Carduelis chloris was found not closely related to other members of the genus Carduelis and therefore was placed in the resurrected genus Chloris in the period 2009~2017 in the leading check lists (following Arnaiz-Villena et al. 2008 and at IOC Sangster et al 2011), up to the 1960s, it was already a Chloris, but the East Asian Carduelis sinica (Grey-capped Greenfinch) apparently bridged the wide gap between him and the colorful, noticeably smaller Carduelis carduelis (European Goldfinch) and so the European Greenfinch became a Carduelis chloris. The greenfinches are close to the Desert Finch (Rhodospiza obsoleta), that earlier was a Rhodopechys in the Pyrrhulini tribe.

The German Hans E. Wolters (who granted the Cardueline Finches its own family Carduelidae) wrote that English Greenfinches and those from southern Scotland are much darker and duller than continental ones, especially lacking the yellow tinge of the central parts of the abdomen. Birds from northern Scotland, however, agree with the continental populations in coloration and are considered to belong with C. chloris chloris, while Greenfinches from England and southern Scotland will have to be called C. c. harrisoni. It is considered highly probable, that, while C. s. harrisoni reached Great Britain from the south, as did most birds and mammals, when they re-entered what are now the British Isles in the early postglacial epoch, the Greenfinches now inhabiting northern Scotland originated from a Scandinavian stock and invaded Scotland from the north across the North Sea. A parallel case is found in the Carrion Crows (Corvus corone corone and C. corone cornix), and there appear to be others, e. g. in the Coal Tit (Parus ater) and the Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus).

Four of the five greenfinch species are found only in the East, with one (upgraded species) endemic in the Oriental region, one of two in the Fringillidae family, both in Carduelinae subfamily.

Likewise, Acanthis cannabina (common linnet) was a Carduelis on the European continent in the 1960s, what happened at English check lists in the 1990s and later. The bird is now in Linaria.

The Eurasian Siskin could have passed to America through the Beringia or Greenland coast, with radiations down to the Antilles, Central America and South America. Type species is ex-Serinus, now Spinus thibetanus. With the siskins all changing from the Carduelis genus to the Spinus genus in the early 2000s, after it was found that they are closer to the Serinus Serins/Canaries, than to Carduelis, having diverged over a short time, now only the Palearctic European Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis and Southwestern European Citril Finch Carduelis citronella are left in the Carduelis genus, that earlier included 24 species.

The American Goldfinch, once a Spinus, in between a Carduelis, is now a Spinus again; likewise, the Redpoll, once an Acanthis, in between a Carduelis, is now an Acanthis again.

				selected post-war taxons
AOU < 1976	European	H&M 1980	H&M 1990	H&M 1990	H&M 2003	H&M 2013	H&M 2013
	continent	(Peters 1964)			Clements 1991	Clements 2009 (* 2017)
	Chloris	Carduelis chloris	Carduelis chloris	Western Greenfinch	Carduelis chloris	Chloris chloris	European Greenfinch
	Chloris	Carduelis sinica	Carduelis sinica		Carduelis sinica	Chloris sinica	Grey-capped Greenfinch
	Chloris	Carduelis spinoides	Carduelis spinoides	Black-headed Greenfinch	split into:
					Carduelis spinoides	Chloris spinoides	Yellow-breasted Greenfinch
					Carduelis monguilloti	Chloris monguilloti	Vietnamese Greenfinch
		Carduelis ambigua	Carduelis ambigua	Yunnan Greenfinch	Carduelis ambigua	Chloris ambigua	Black-headed Greenfinch
		Serinus thibetanus	Serinus thibetanus		Serinus thibetanus	Spinus thibetanus *	Tibetan Siskin
	Carduelis	Carduelis spinus	Carduelis spinus	Spruce Siskin	Carduelis spinus	Spinus spinus	Eurasian Siskin
Spinus		Carduelis pinus	Carduelis pinus		Carduelis pinus	Spinus pinus	Pine Siskin
		Carduelis atriceps	Carduelis atriceps		Carduelis atriceps	Spinus atriceps	Black-capped Siskin
		Carduelis spinescens	Carduelis spinescens		Carduelis spinescens	Spinus spinescens	Andean Siskin
		Carduelis yarrellii	Carduelis yarrellii		Carduelis yarrellii	Spinus yarrellii	Yellow-faced Siskin
	Carduelis	Carduelis cucullata	Carduelis cucullata		Carduelis cucullata	Spinus cucullatus	Red Siskin
		Carduelis crassirostris	Carduelis crassirostris		Carduelis crassirostris	Spinus crassirostris	Thick-billed Siskin
		Carduelis magellanica	Carduelis magellanica		Carduelis magellanica	Spinus magellanicus	Hooded Siskin
		Carduelis siemiradzkii	Carduelis siemiradzkii		Carduelis siemiradzkii	Spinus siemiradzkii	Saffron Siskin
		Carduelis olivacea	Carduelis olivacea		Carduelis olivacea	Spinus olivaceus	Olivaceous Siskin
Spinus < 1983		Carduelis notata	Carduelis notata		Carduelis notata	Spinus notatus	Black-headed Siskin
		Carduelis barbata	Carduelis barbata		Carduelis barbata	Spinus barbatus	Black-chinned Siskin
		Carduelis xanthogastra	Carduelis xanthogastra		Carduelis xanthogastra	Spinus xanthogastrus	Yellow-bellied Siskin
		Carduelis atrata	Carduelis atrata		Carduelis atrata	Spinus atratus	Black Siskin
		Carduelis uropygialis	Carduelis uropygialis		Carduelis uropygialis	Spinus uropygialis	Yellow-rumped Siskin
Spinus	Carduelis	Carduelis tristis	Carduelis tristis		Carduelis tristis	Spinus tristis	American Goldfinch
Spinus		Carduelis psaltria	Carduelis psaltria	Dark-backed Goldfinch	Carduelis psaltria	Spinus psaltria	Lesser Goldfinch
Spinus		Carduelis lawrencei	Carduelis lawrencei		Carduelis lawrencei	Spinus lawrencei	Lawrence's Goldfinch
		Carduelis dominicensis	Carduelis dominicensis		Carduelis dominicensis	Spinus dominicensis	Antillean Siskin
	Carduelis	Carduelis carduelis	Carduelis carduelis		Carduelis carduelis	Carduelis carduelis	European Goldfinch
	Carduelis	Serinus citrinella	Serinus citrinella		Carduelis citrinella	Carduelis citrinella	Citril Finch
Acanthis	Carduelis	Acanthis flammea	Acanthis flammea	Redpoll	Carduelis flammea	Acanthis flammea	Common Redpoll
Acanthis	Carduelis	Acanthis hornemanni	sub flammea		Carduelis hornemanni	Acanthis hornemanni	Arctic Redpoll
	Carduelis	Acanthis flavirostris	Acanthis flavirostris	Twite	Carduelis flavirostris	Linaria flavirostris *	Twite
	Carduelis	Acanthis cannabina	Acanthis cannabina	Linnet	Carduelis cannabina	Linaria cannabina *	Common Linnet
	Carduelis	Acanthis yemensis	Acanthis yemensis	Yemeni Linnet	Carduelis yemensis	Linaria yemenensis *	Yemen Linnet
	Carduelis	Acanthis johannis	Acanthis johannis	Warsangli Linnet	Carduelis johannis	Linaria johannis *	Warsangli Linnet

The North American Carpodacus Finches, were recently renamed Haemorhous (House Finch), forming an early radiation, and transferred to the Carduelini, leaving the Carpodacini tribe now Palearctic, and down to Central India. They are close to the Depanidini (Hawaiian Honeycreepers).

The Pyrrhulini tribe with Bullfinches, Rosy Finches and Pine Grosbeak are Holarctic, and down to Taiwan and the Philippines.

The Coccothraustini (Hawfinch and Evening and other Grosbeaks) are Holarctic as well, and down to Guatemala. These birds form the deepest branch with the Carduelinae and are close to the Euphoniinae (Euphonias) and Fringillinae, the earliest Finches.

Diet

Cardueline finches are specialised seed eaters. They also eat buds, soft fruits, and some insects, and specific Hawaiian Honeycreepers are specialized nectarivorous.

Source: The Howard and Moore complete checklist of the birds of the world

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16 August, 2021