Brunhilda (bird)

Brunhilda is a genus of small seed-eating birds in the waxbill family Estrildidae. The species are found in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Brunhilda
Black-faced waxbill (Brunhilda erythronotos)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Estrildidae
Genus:	Brunhilda Reichenbach, 1862
Type species
Fringilla erythronotos black-faced waxbill Vieillot, 1817

Taxonomy

The genus Brunhilda was introduced in 1862 by the German naturalist Ludwig Reichenbach for the black-faced waxbill.^[1] Brunhild is a female character of Germanic and Norse legend.^[2] The genus was considered as a junior synonym of Estrilda but was resurrected when a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2020 found that Estrilda was paraphyletic.^[3][4]

Species

The genus contains two species:^[4]

Image	Common Name	Scientific name	Distribution
	Black-cheeked waxbill	Brunhilda charmosyna	Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan and Tanzania
	Black-faced waxbill	Brunhilda erythronotos	Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe

References

1. Reichenbach, Ludwig (1862). Die Singvögel als Fortsetzung de vollständigsten Naturgeschichte und zugleich als Central-Atlas für zoologische Gärten und für Thierfreunde. Ein durch zahlreiche illuminirte Abbildungen illustrirtes Handbuch zur richtigten Bestimmung und Pflege der Thiere aller Classen (in German). Dresden and Leipzig: Expedition Vollständigsten Naturgeschichte. p. 48.
2. Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 78. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
3. Olsson, Urban; Alström, Per (2020). "A comprehensive phylogeny and taxonomic evaluation of the waxbills (Aves: Estrildidae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 146: 106757. Bibcode:2020MolPE.14606757O. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2020.106757. PMID 32028027.
4. Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (July 2021). "Waxbills, parrotfinches, munias, whydahs, Olive Warbler, accentors, pipits". IOC World Bird List Version 11.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 17 July 2021.