Microspingus

Microspingus is a genus of warbler-like birds in the tanager family Thraupidae. They are found in highland forest in South America.

Microspingus
Buff-throated warbling finch (Microspingus lateralis)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Thraupidae
Genus:	Microspingus Taczanowski, 1874
Type species
Microspingus trifasciatus Taczanowski, 1874
Species
See text

Taxonomy and species list

A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2014 found that the genus Poospiza was polyphyletic.^[1] In the resulting rearrangement to create monophyletic genera the genus Microspingus was resurrected. It had been introduced in 1874 by the Polish zoologist Władysław Taczanowski with the three-striped hemispingus as the type species.^[2][3][4] The genus name combines the Ancient Greek mikros meaning "small" with spingos meaning "finch".^[5]

The genus Microspingus is the sister taxon to a clade containing the black-backed bush tanager in the monospecific genus Urothraupis and the Pardusco in the monospecific genus Nephelornis.^[1][3]

The genus contains eight species:^[4]

Image	Common Name	Scientific name	Distribution
	Buff-throated warbling finch	Microspingus lateralis	Brazil.
	Grey-throated warbling finch	Microspingus cabanisi	eastern Brazil, far eastern Paraguay, far north-eastern Argentina, and Uruguay
	Rusty-browed warbling finch	Microspingus erythrophrys	Argentina and Bolivia
	Plain-tailed warbling finch	Microspingus alticola	Peru.
	Ringed warbling finch	Microspingus torquatus	Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay.
	Three-striped hemispingus	Microspingus trifasciatus	Bolivia and Peru.
	Black-capped warbling finch	Microspingus melanoleucus	Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and western Uruguay.
	Cinereous warbling finch	Microspingus cinereus	Brazil.