Melanospiza
Melanospiza is a genus of Neotropical birds in the tanager family Thraupidae.
Taxonomy and species list
The genus Melanospiza was introduced in 1897 by the American ornithologist Robert Ridgway with the Saint [Lucia black finch] as the type species. The name combines the Ancient Greek melas meaning "black" and spiza meaning "finch". Although traditionally placed with the buntings and New [World sparrow]s in the family Emberizidae, molecular phylogenetic studies have shown that the genus is a member of the tanager family Thraupidae and belongs to the subfamily Coerebinae which also contains Darwin's finches.The genus contains the following two species: