Southern nutcracker
| Southern nutcracker | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Corvidae |
| Genus: | Nucifraga |
| Species: | N. hemispila
|
| Binomial name | |
| Nucifraga hemispila Vigors, 1831
| |
The southern nutcracker (Nucifraga hemispila) is a passerine bird in the crow family Corvidae.
It was formerly considered to be conspecific with the northern nutcracker (Nucifraga caryocatactes) and the Kashmir nutcracker (Nucifraga multipunctata) under the English name "spotted nutcracker".
Taxonomy
[edit]The southern nutcracker was formally described in 1831 by the Irish zoologist Nicholas Vigors under the binomial name Nucifraga hemispila.[2] He specified the type locality as the Himalayas but the locality has been restricted to the Shimla and Almora districts of northern India.[3][4] The genus name Nucifraga is the Latin name given to the northern nutcracker by the English naturalist William Turner in 1544, as a translation of the German name Nussbrecher meaning "nut-breaker".[5] The specific epithet hemispila combines the Ancient Greek ἡμι-/hēmi- meaning "half-" or "small" with σπιλος/spilos meaning "stain" or "spot".[6] The southern nutcracker was formerly considered to be conspecific with the spotted nutcracker (Nucifraga caryocatactes) now renamed as the northern nutcracker. It is here treated as a separate species based on differences in morphology and vocalizations as well a molecular genetic analysis.[7][8]
Four subspecies are recognised:[8]
- N. h. hemispila Vigors, 1831 – northwest, central Himalayas
- N. h. macella Thayer & Bangs, 1909 – east Himalayas to central, south China and north Myanmar
- N. h. interdicta Kleinschmidt & Weigold, 1922 – north China
- N. h. owstoni Ingram, C, 1910 – Taiwan
References
[edit]- ^ BirdLife International (2016). "Nucifraga hemispila". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T103727443A104100871. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T103727443A104100871.en. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
- ^ Vigors, Nicholas Aylward (1831). "Nucifraga hemispila". Proceedings of the Committee of Science and Correspondence of the Zoological Society of London. 1 (18): 8.
- ^ Ticehurst, Claud B.; Whistler, Hugh (1924). "On the type-locality of certain birds described by Vigors". Ibis. 66 (3): 68–473 [471]. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919X.1924.tb05337.x.
- ^ Mayr, Ernst; Greenway, James C. Jr, eds. (1962). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 15. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 258.
- ^ Jobling, James A. "Nucifraga". The Key to Scientific Names. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
- ^ Jobling, James A. "hemispila". The Key to Scientific Names. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
- ^ de Raad, J.; Päckert, M.; Irestedt, M.; Janke, A.; Kryukov, A.P.; Martens, J.; Red’kin, Y.A.; Sun, Y.; Töpfer, T.; Schleuning, M.; Neuschulz, E.L.; Nilsson, M.A. (2022). "Speciation and population divergence in a mutualistic seed dispersing bird". Communications Biology. 5 (1): 429. doi:10.1038/s42003-022-03364-2. PMC 9085801. PMID 35534538.
- ^ a b Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (August 2024). "Crows, mudnesters, birds-of-paradise". IOC World Bird List Version 14.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 16 September 2024.