Cardinals (Cardinalidae)

Black-backed Grosbeak (Pheucticus aureoventris) - HBW 16, p. 406

French: Cardinal à dos noir German: Goldbauch-Kernknacker Spanish: Picogrueso Dorsinegro
Other common names: Yellow-rumped Grosbeak (uropygialis); Riobamba/Yellow-throated Grosbeak (crissalis); Chapman’s Grosbeak (terminalis)

Taxonomy: Pitylus aureoventris d’Orbigny and Lafresnaye, 1837, Yungas, Sicasica, Bolivia.
May hybridize with P. chrysogaster in Ecuador. Five subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution:

  • meridensis Riley, 1905 - Andes of SW Venezuela (Mérida).
  • uropygialis P. L. Sclater & Salvin, 1871 - Colombia in E Andes (Norte de Santander S to Cundinamarca).
  • crissalis P. L. Sclater & Salvin, 1877 - Andes of SW Colombia (Nariño) S to C Ecuador.

     See all 5 subspecies
  • meridensis Riley, 1905 - Andes of SW Venezuela (Mérida).
  • uropygialis P. L. Sclater & Salvin, 1871 - Colombia in E Andes (Norte de Santander S to Cundinamarca).
  • crissalis P. L. Sclater & Salvin, 1877 - Andes of SW Colombia (Nariño) S to C Ecuador.
  • terminalis Chapman, 1919 - lower Andes of Peru (Amazonas and Cuzco).
  • aureoventris (d’Orbigny & Lafresnaye, 1837) - S Peru (Puno), S & E Bolivia (La Paz S to Tarija) and NW Argentina (Jujuy S to San Luis and Córdoba); also, probably only in austral winter, WC Brazil (W Mato Grosso) and N Paraguay.