Coccothraustes
Coccothraustes | |
---|---|
Hawfinch | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Suborder: | Passeri |
Infraorder: | Passerida |
Superfamily: | Passeroidea |
Family: | Fringillidae |
Subfamily: | Carduelinae |
Genus: | Coccothraustes Brisson, 1760 |
Species | |
3 sp., see text. |
Coccothraustes is a genus of large finches containing three species:
- Hawfinch – Coccothraustes coccothraustes
- Evening grosbeak – Coccothraustes vespertinus
- Hooded grosbeak – Coccothraustes abeillei
These are large, bulky, short-tailed species, around 18 cm in length, with thick powerful bills for cracking the stones of fruit. They are hardy species, and even the two northern species usually only migrate from the coldest parts of their range.
The evening grosbeak of North America and the hooded grosbeak of Central America are closely related, and sometimes are classified in the genus Hesperiphona, but are now usually placed in the same genus as the Eurasian hawfinch.