Melozone

Melozone
Canyon towhee (Melozone fusca)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Passerellidae
Genus:	Melozone Reichenbach, 1850
Type species
Pyrgita biarcuata[1] Prévost & Des Murs, 1846

Melozone is a genus of mostly Neotropical birds in the family Passerellidae, found mainly in Mexico. Three species reach as far north as the southwestern United States, two species reach as far south as Costa Rica, and two are endemic to Mexico.

It is one of two genera containing birds with the common name towhee.

Species

The following species are in the genus Melozone:[2]

Image	Common Name	Scientific name	Distribution
	Abert's towhee	Melozone aberti	Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, and Sonora in Mexico.
	Cabanis's ground sparrow	Melozone cabanisi	Costa Rica.
	California towhee	Melozone crissalis	western Oregon and California in the United States and Baja California Sur in Mexico.
	Canyon towhee	Melozone fusca	Southern Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico & western Texas, also present in northern & central Mexico.
	Prevost's ground sparrow	Melozone biarcuata	southern Mexico to western Honduras.
	Rusty-crowned ground sparrow	Melozone kieneri	western and southwestern Mexico.
	White-eared ground sparrow	Melozone leucotis	Mexico and Guatemala to northern Costa Rica.
	White-throated towhee	Melozone albicollis	Mexico.

References

1. "Passerellidae". aviansystematics.org. The Trust for Avian Systematics. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
2. "ITIS Report: Melozone". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 5 August 2013.