Seedcracker
The seedcrackers belong to the genus Pyrenestes within the estrildid finches family. These birds are found in Sub-Saharan Africa, and are gregarious seed eaters characterized by short, very thick, grey bills. All species display crimson coloration on the face and tail.
Taxonomy
The genus Pyrenestes was introduced by the English zoologist William Swainson to accommodate a single species, Pirenestes sanguineus, the crimson seedcracker. This species is the type by monotypy. In the heading to Swainson's text the name is written as Pirenestes but this spelling is considered a lapsus as elsewhere in the text the name is spelled Pyrenestes. The genus name is combines the Ancient Greek πυρην/purēn, πυρηνος/purēnos meaning "fruit-stone" with -εστης/-estēs meaning "-eater".Species
The genus contains three species:| Image | Common name | Scientific name | Distribution |
| Crimson seedcracker | Pyrenestes sanguineus | Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Senegal and Sierra Leone. | |
| Black-bellied seedcracker | Pyrenestes ostrinus | SE Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, South Sudan, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, Western and Southern Cameroon, Central African Republic, SW Chad, Gabon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Uganda, W Kenya, Angola, Zambia and SW Tanzania. | |
| Lesser seedcracker | Pyrenestes minor | Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. |