Jameson's antpecker
Species of bird / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jameson's antpecker (Parmoptila jamesoni) is a songbird species found in central Africa. Like all antpeckers, it is tentatively placed in the estrildid finch family (Estrildidae). It has traditionally been included as a subspecies of P. rubrifrons (red-fronted antpecker) and the common name Jameson's antpecker was sometimes used for both taxa. But today, they are often considered distinct species.
Jameson's antpecker | |
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Adult male near Bwindi (Uganda) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Estrildidae |
Genus: | Parmoptila |
Species: | P. jamesoni |
Binomial name | |
Parmoptila jamesoni (Shelley, 1890) | |
Synonyms | |
Parmoptila rubrifrons jamesoni |
Jameson's antpecker inhabits tropical lowland moist forest in Uganda, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. When Jameson's and the red-fronted antpeckers were still evaluated as one species, they were classified as a species of least concern by the IUCN.[2] Unlike its western relative which is declining noticeably, P. jamesoni is still common and widespread. Therefore, its status has not changed after its elevation to a full species.[3]
Jameson's antpecker is named after James Sligo Jameson. Given Jameson's violent behavior[4] in Africa, ornithologists have suggested changing the common name of this species.