Serinus

{{Short description|Genus of birds}}

{{Redirect|Serin|other topics|Serin (disambiguation)}}

{{Italic title}}

{{Automatic taxobox

| name = Serinus

| image = Girlitz Serinus serinus.jpg

| image_caption = Male European serin (Serinus serinus)

| taxon = Serinus

| authority = Koch, 1816

| type_species = Serinus hortulanus{{cite web |url= https://www.aviansystematics.org/4th-edition-checklist?viewfamilies=196 |title= Fringillidae |author= |date= |website= aviansystematics.org |publisher= The Trust for Avian Systematics |access-date= 2023-07-16}}

| type_species_authority = Koch, 1816

| subdivision_ranks = Species

| subdivision =

See text.

}}

Serinus is a genus of small birds in the finch family Fringillidae found in West Asia, Europe and Africa. The birds usually have some yellow in their plumage. The genus was introduced in 1816 by the German naturalist Carl Ludwig Koch.{{cite book | last=Koch | first=Carl Ludwig | author-link=Carl Ludwig Koch | year=1816 | title=System der baierischen Zoologie, Volume 1 | publisher=Nürnberg | page=228 | language=de | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cLJYAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA228 }}{{ cite book | editor-last=Paynter | editor-first=Raymond A. Jnr. | year=1968 | title=Check-list of birds of the world, Volume 14 | volume=14 | publisher=Museum of Comparative Zoology | place=Cambridge, Massachusetts | page=208 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/14481409 }} Its name is Neo-Latin for "canary-yellow".{{cite book | last= Jobling | first= James A. | year= 2010| title= The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names | url= https://archive.org/details/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling | publisher=Christopher Helm | location = London, United Kingdom | isbn = 978-1-4081-2501-4 | page = [https://archive.org/details/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling/page/n354 354] }}

Many species were at one time assigned to the genus but it became clear from phylogenetic studies of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences that the genus was polyphyletic.{{ cite journal | last1=Arnaiz-Villena | first1=A. | last2=Alvarez-Tejado | first2=M. | last3=Ruiz-del-Valle | first3=V. | last4=García-de-la-Torre | first4=C. | last5=Varela | first5=P. | last6=Recio | first6= M. | last7=Ferre | first7= S. | last8=Martinez-Laso | first8= J. | year=1999 | title=Rapid Radiation of Canaries (Genus Serinus) | journal=Molecular Biology and Evolution | volume=16 | issue=1 | pages=2–11 | doi= 10.1093/oxfordjournals.molbev.a026034| doi-access= }}{{ cite journal | last1=Ryan | first1=P.G. | last2=Wright | first2=D. | last3=Oatley | first3=G. | last4=Wakeling | first4=J. | last5=Cohen | first5=C. | last6=Nowell | first6=T.L. | last7=Bowie | first7=R.C.K. | last8=Ward | first8=V. | last9=Crowe | first9=T.M. | year=2004 | title=Systematics of Serinus canaries and the status of Cape and Yellow-crowned Canaries inferred from mtDNA and morphology | journal=Ostrich | volume=75 | issue=4 | pages=288–294 | doi=10.2989/00306520409485457 | bibcode=2004Ostri..75..288R | s2cid=84396955 }}{{ cite journal | last1=Nguembock | first1=B. | last2=Fjeldså | first2=J. | last3=Couloux | first3=A. | last4=Pasquet | first4=E. | year=2009 | title=Molecular phylogeny of Carduelinae (Aves, Passeriformes, Fringillidae) proves polyphyletic origin of the genera Serinus and Carduelis and suggests redefined generic limits | journal= Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution | volume=51 | issue=2 | pages=169–181 | doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2008.10.022 | pmid=19027082| bibcode=2009MolPE..51..169N }} This was confirmed by Dario Zuccon and coworkers in a comprehensive study of the finch family published in 2012. The authors suggested splitting the genus into two monophyletic groups, a proposal that was accepted by the International Ornithologists' Union. The genus Serinus was restricted to the European serin and seven other species while a larger clade from Africa and Arabia was assigned to the resurrected genus Crithagra.{{cite journal | last1=Zuccon | first1=Dario | last2=Prŷs-Jones | first2=Robert | last3=Rasmussen | first3=Pamela C. | last4=Ericson | first4=Per G.P. | year=2012 | title=The phylogenetic relationships and generic limits of finches (Fringillidae) | journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution | volume=62 | issue=2 | pages=581–596 | doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2011.10.002 | url=http://www.nrm.se/download/18.9ff3752132fdaeccb6800010935/Zuccon%20et%20al%202012.pdf | pmid=22023825| bibcode=2012MolPE..62..581Z }}{{cite web| editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | title=Finches, euphonias | work= World Bird List Version 5.2| url=http://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/finches/ | publisher=International Ornithologists' Union| access-date=5 June 2015 }}

The genus contains eight species:

class="wikitable"
Image	Scientific name	Common Name	Distribution
120px	Serinus pusillus	Red-fronted serin	Iran, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Iraq and Palestine
120px	Serinus serinus	European serin	southern and central Europe and North Africa
120px	Serinus syriacus	Syrian serin	Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan and Saudi Arabia
120px	Serinus canaria	Atlantic canary	the Canary Islands, the Azores, and Madeira
120px	Serinus canicollis	Cape canary	southern Africa
120px	Serinus flavivertex	Yellow-crowned canary	eastern Africa
120px	Serinus nigriceps	Ethiopian siskin	Ethiopia
120px	Serinus alario	Black-headed canary	Lesotho, Namibia and South Africa