Grosbeak/ˈɡroʊsbiːk/ is aform taxon containing variousspecies of seed-eatingpasserine birds with largebeaks. Although they all belong to thesuperfamilyPasseroidea, these birds are not part of a natural group but rather apolyphyletic assemblage of distantly relatedsongbirds.[1] Some arecardueline finches in the familyFringillidae, while others are cardinals in the familyCardinalidae; one is a member of theweaver familyPloceidae.[2] The word "grosbeak", first applied in the late 1670s, is a partial translation of the Frenchgrosbec, wheregros means "large" andbec means "beak".[3]
The following is a list of grosbeak species, arranged in groups of closely relatedgenera. These genera are more closely related to smaller-billed birds than to other grosbeaks. Exceptions are the three genera of "typical grosbeak finches", which form a group of closest living relatives and might thus be considered the "true" grosbeaks.
The finchfamily (Fringillidae) contains 13 living species named "grosbeak", which are all part of the largesubfamilyCarduelinae:
The cardinal family (Cardinalidae) of theAmericas contains the following 17 "grosbeaks":
Three additional species of "grosbeaks" have long been placed in the Cardinalidae, but actually seem to be closer to the tanager family (Thraupidae):
Finally, the weaver family (Ploceidae) contains a species called thethick-billed weaver (Amblyospiza albifrons).
