Pyrgilauda

Pyrgilauda is a genus of passerine birds in the sparrow family Passeridae. They are found in the Himalayas, Tibet and western China.

Pyrgilauda
Rufous-necked snowfinch (Pyrgilauda ruficollis)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Passeridae
Genus:	Pyrgilauda Verreaux, J, 1871
Species
See text

The genus was introduced by the French naturalist Jules Verreaux in 1871 with Père David's snowfinch as the type species.[1][2] The name is a portmanteau of the genera Pyrgita Cuvier 1817, "sparrow", and Alauda Linnaeus, 1758, "lark".[3]

The genus contains four species:[4]

Image	Scientific name	Common Name	Distribution
	Pyrgilauda davidiana	Père David's snowfinch	Mongolia, southern Siberia and northern China
	Pyrgilauda ruficollis	Rufous-necked snowfinch	Uttarakhand, Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan.
	Pyrgilauda blanfordi	Blanford's snowfinch	China, India, Nepal, and Pakistan
	Pyrgilauda theresae	Afghan snowfinch	Afghanistan

These species are sometimes included in the genus Montifringilla.

References

1. Verreaux, Jules (1871). "Note sur les espèces nouvelles d'oiseaux recueillis par M. L'Abbé Armand David dans les montagnes du Thibet Chinois". Bulletin des Nouvelles archives du Muséum d'histoire naturelle. 6: 33-40 [40].
2. Dickinson, E.C.; Christidis, L., eds. (2014). The Howard & Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 2: Passerines (4th ed.). Eastbourne, UK: Aves Press. p. 308. ISBN 978-0-9568611-2-2.
3. Jobling, J.A. (2018). del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J.; Christie, D.A.; de Juana, E. (eds.). "Key to Scientific Names in Ornithology". Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
4. Gill, Frank; Donsker, David, eds. (2018). "Old World sparrows, snowfinches, weavers". World Bird List Version 8.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 6 May 2018.