Genus Padda, a taxonomic overview

Genus Padda, a taxonomic overview

By Dirk Van den Abeele
Ornitho-Genetics VZW
De Nederlandse versie van dit artikel kan je hier lezen

The ricebird: a familiar bird in scientific dress. Within the bird hobby, the “padda” or ricebird is an absolute classic. Whether it concerns the well-known Java sparrow or its somewhat rarer cousin, the Timor sparrow, these robust estrildid finches have adorned our aviaries for centuries. But did you know that the scientific name behind these birds went through a centuries-long identity crisis? While enthusiasts stubbornly held on to the familiar name “padda,” taxonomists argued over whether the bird was a crossbill, a true estrildid finch, or a completely separate branch on the evolutionary tree. Armed with the latest DNA techniques, the dust has now been stirred up—and settled again. In this article, we dive into the fascinating history of the genus Padda—from the first sketches of alcohol-preserved specimens in the 18th century to the unraveling of the modern genome.

In contemporary taxonomy, the genus Padda consists of two species.

• Padda oryzivora
• Padda fuscata

Among enthusiasts, they usually simply speak of the “padda.” Although this genus includes two species, the common ricebird (Padda oryzivora) is by far the best-known inhabitant of our aviaries. To distinguish it, people simply call this species the ricebird, rice finch, or Java sparrow.

The second species, Padda fuscata, is known as the Timor sparrow. Although it is sometimes also called the “brown ricebird,” that name can be confusing, since there is also a brown color mutation of the common ricebird. For that reason, I consistently use the names Java sparrow and Timor sparrow in this article.

Very occasionally, the name glatik (or gelatik) also appears. This is the original Indonesian name for the species. On the islands where it originates, such as Java, the bird is known as the Gelatik Jawa, while the Timor sparrow is, logically enough, called Gelatik Timor.

This popular Asian bird belongs to the estrildid finch family (Estrildidae). It is a group of small, often brightly coloured songbirds that originally comes from the tropical regions of Africa, Asia and Australia. Although they are called “finches,” they are not directly related to our European finches; they are true specialists of warmer climates. They are seedeaters with a characteristic conical bill and are known for their complex social structure and their talent for building covered nests.
Within this family, however, the padda stands out clearly: it is considerably larger and more heavily built than most of its colourful finch cousins.

What immediately stands out in Padda species is their smooth, almost silky plumage. Their bill is their most distinctive feature. It is large and conical, powerful enough to husk seeds (and rice) with ease.

The best-known species, the Java sparrow (Padda oryzivora), has a blue-grey body, a black head with striking white cheek patches, and a black tail. The underparts are a soft reddish-brown. In the Java sparrow, the bill is deep pink to coral red. The birds have a red eye-ring. In both species, the legs and toes are pink to flesh-coloured. The claws are fairly pale, ranging from horn-coloured to light pink, and are almost translucent at the tips. Depending on the source, total length ranges from 14 to 17 cm.

The Timor sparrow (Padda fuscata), by contrast, is smaller and more slender and, instead of a blue-grey body, has a dark brown coloration. The colour is deepest on the back and wings. The head is black. The bright white cheek patches are retained. In this species, the bill is grey. The belly often grades from a warm beige to an almost whitish tone toward the tail. The Timor sparrow (Padda fuscata) also has an eye-ring, but in this species it is grey. According to aviculturists, the colour of the legs and claws in the Timor sparrow is slightly less red than in the common Java sparrow.

According to data from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the IUCN, the Java sparrow originally occurred only on Java and Bali, but human activity has spread the species worldwide. Because the Java sparrow has been a popular cage bird for centuries, it has established itself in many places outside its natural range. It has been successfully introduced to large parts of Asia. In the 1960s, the species even managed to establish a population in parts of Florida (USA), but this had disappeared completely again by the 1980s. The Java sparrow still occurs in Puerto Rico and Venezuela. As such popular aviary birds, escaped individuals are still regularly observed in the wild around the world [1], [2], [3]. Despite this global presence, the species is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List [4It is the second-highest alarm category for a wild animal species. In other words, there is a very high chance that the species will disappear from its natural habitat in the near future if no protective measures are taken.

The Timor sparrow has a much smaller and more specific range than its grey relative. It occurs only in the Lesser Sunda Islands of Indonesia and in Timor-Leste. Whereas the common Java sparrow has now reached Endangered status in the wild, the Timor sparrow is doing slightly better. It is currently classified as Near Threatened. This means that it is not yet in the immediate danger zone, but conservationists are monitoring it closely because its range is limited and vulnerable. You could call it conservation code orange.

1743. The Padda or rice bird
The earliest publication I have been able to trace concerning the ricebird appears in a book from 1771 entitled A Voyage to China and the East Indies. It was written by George Edwards (1694–1773), an English naturalist and ornithologist. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS), one of the most prestigious honours a scientist in England can receive. It is a lifetime membership of the Royal Society of London, the oldest national scientific society in the world that is still active today, founded in 1660. Edwards is also described by some as the father of British ornithology. He produced richly illustrated books on birds, in which every image was assigned a numbered “plate.” On plate 41 we find a beautiful drawing of a Java sparrow and a short accompanying text under the title “The Cock Padda or Rice-Bird.”
What follows is a fairly clear description of the bird, and he also notes that he saw one of these birds alive in the possession of Sir Hans Sloane, who told him that the birds came from China—something that is, of course, incorrect.
Sir Hans Sloane (1660–1753) was a prominent Irish-British physician and naturalist whose enormous private collection formed the basis for the creation of the British Museum, the British Library and the Natural History Museum. He succeeded Isaac Newton as President of the Royal Society and served as personal physician to several British monarchs. At various points in his life, Sir Hans Sloane lived abroad for study and work. He is also known for introducing a popular recipe for chocolate milk to Europe after a stay in Jamaica.

The next chapter, together with its accompanying illustration, is entitled “The Hen Padda or Rice-Bird.” In it, Edwards describes a bird that, by his own account, he had never seen alive; he based his description on a specimen from Sir Hans Sloane’s collection that had been preserved in alcohol. Although he suspected that it was a female Java sparrow, anyone familiar with the birds can see from the illustration that it was most likely a Timor sparrow.

Edwards wrote that these birds were brought back from China by travellers and that they were called “padda birds.” He also noted that traders in the Indies knew them as “Java Sparrows” and claimed that they occurred on Java. Even so, Edwards remained convinced that they were native to China, simply because he saw them depicted very regularly in Chinese paintings. For him, that was persuasive evidence.
The name Padda introduced by George Edwards was not valid under the taxonomic rules and was therefore later rejected by taxonomists. Under binomial nomenclature, the global standard for naming animal species, every species must receive a two-part Latin name consisting of a genus name and a species name.

1758. Loxia oryzivora
The Java sparrow was first described taxonomically in a correct formal way by Linnaeus in 1758. Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778) was a Swedish physician and biologist who laid the foundation for the way we organise nature. He himself introduced binomial nomenclature. As the “father of modern taxonomy,” he classified plants and animals on the basis of their outward characteristics. His work Systema Naturae brought structure for the first time to the enormous chaos of local bird and plant names. Without his system, scientists and enthusiasts would probably still be talking past one another today.
In the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae, he described the Java sparrow in Latin and named it Loxia oryzivora. Carl Linnaeus placed almost all birds with a sturdy, conical bill in the genus Loxia—what we now know as the crossbills. The specific epithet oryzivora literally means “rice-eater.”
It is a rather brief description, and Linnaeus refers to George Edwards’s 1743 illustration and description, and also to a work by Osbeck (1723–1805). Pehr Osbeck was a clergyman, but he spent considerable time in Asia studying the local flora and fauna. In 1757 he published an account of his journey to China in Dagbok öfwer en ostindisk Resa åren. I have not been able to verify whether that book contains a description or mention of the Java sparrow. The English translation from 1771 does include it, but there Osbeck refers to Linnaeus’s 1758 description. By analogy with Linnaeus, he also calls the bird Loxia oryzivora. We may therefore assume that this paragraph was later adapted for the English translation.

1807. Loxia fuscata
In Histoire naturelle des plus beaux oiseaux chanteurs de la zone torride, the Frenchman Vieillot described the Timor sparrow. He named it Loxia fuscata. Louis Pierre Vieillot (1748–1830) was a French ornithologist who named a great many birds. Like Linnaeus, he placed these birds in the genus Loxia. As noted, at that time it was customary to catalogue finch-like birds with a robust bill under that genus, and Vieillot was no exception. As the French name for this species, he used “padda brun” or “brown padda.” You can see that the name padda had already been in use for some time for these birds, yet it would take more than forty years before Reichenbach formally introduced the name Padda for this genus. The text was accompanied by a drawing of this bird by the Swiss artist Jean-Gabriel Prêtre (1768–1849).

Here I provide a translation of the original French description:

Crossbills
Brown padda

This new Loxia (a crossbill-like bird), of which I know only the exterior, inhabits the Moluccas.
The male has a lead-coloured bill which, at the base of the upper mandible, is shaped in the same way as in the preceding species; the top of the head is brown; the forehead, the eyebrows, the upper throat and the breast are black; the cheeks are white. The upper neck, back, rump, and the upper wing- and tail-coverts are vinous brown, but darker on the inner parts of the wing and tail feathers. The front of the neck is dark brown; the belly and hind parts are pure white; the legs are brownish grey.

The females, or young males in their first plumage, differ in having a brown bill with a small black streak on the feathers at its base. The head, upper neck, and all the upperparts are dark grey. The wings, tail, and legs are the same colour as the bill. The throat, front of the neck, underside of the body, and the lower tail-coverts are greyish white, with faint spots on the breast.

Communicated by Mr Bécoeur.

As you can read, he states literally that he knew the bird “only from the outside” and that he obtained his information from Jean-Baptiste Bécoeur (1718–1777). This French apothecary and ornithologist was known at the time for his invention of arsenical soap for preserving birds.

The statement that these birds occurred in the Moluccas (an island group in eastern Indonesia) should also be treated with some caution. The Timor sparrow is originally native to Timor, but birds were later introduced on a larger scale elsewhere in Indonesia, so it is possible that they also appeared in the Moluccas.

1850. Genus Padda
In 1850, the German taxonomist Heinrich Gottlieb Ludwig Reichenbach (1793–1879), in his work Avium systema naturale, introduced a new genus called Padda. Under it, he placed the Java sparrow (Padda oryzivora). In doing so, he indicated that this bird was different from the other species then placed in the genus Loxia.
That is why taxonomic sources for the genus Padda give the following citation: Padda (f.) Reichenbach, 1850, Avium Systema Naturale, Plate LXXVI (76).

In concrete terms, this means:

• Padda = the genus name
• (f.) = feminine gender in the grammatical sense
• Reichenbach = author of the name
• 1850 = year of publication
• Syst. Nat. = abbreviation of Avium systema naturale
• LXXVI = plate 76 (illustration plate number 76)

What is interesting—and also rather unusual—is that the source here is not an ordinary text page, as was usually the case, but an illustration plate from Avium systema naturale. On this specific plate you mainly see technical drawings of bird characteristics. Reichenbach illustrated, among other things, genera in the families Scolopacidae (sandpipers and snipes) and Charadriidae (plovers and lapwings). He also drew the bill typical of ricebirds and placed the name Padda beneath it. These plates were intended to provide visual support for the new genera he described. Under the rules of the ICZN (the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature), that counts as a valid publication, provided the illustration is clear enough to identify the species.

Even today, however, not everyone agrees on this point. In modern citations, this work is often linked to part 3 of the Handbuch der speciellen Ornithologie. This work by Heinrich Reichenbach formed part of a larger series of natural-history publications and appeared between 1851 and 1854 in several instalments. One of these, part 3, was published separately under the title Avium systema naturale. There Reichenbach explains the drawings in Avium systema naturale, including the drawing of the bill of Padda. Because producing engravings in the nineteenth century was very costly and time-consuming, it was common practice to publish texts and the accompanying illustrations in separate parts. Later authors therefore regarded this as the explanatory text accompanying Avium systema naturale, and in their view it should also be cited in taxonomy.

The information in Handbuch der speciellen Ornithologie that refers here to his drawing is extremely brief. I quote: Padda Reichenbach, 1850, Av. Syst. Nat., pl. 76, fig. 6. Type, by monotypy, Loxia oryzivora Linnaeus. This sentence is a classic taxonomic citation. In plain language, it means the following:

• Padda Reichenbach, 1850: the genus Padda was introduced by Heinrich Gottlieb Ludwig Reichenbach in 1850.
• Syst. Nat., pl. 76, fig. 6: the name appeared in Avium systema naturale, on plate 76, figure 6.
• Type, by monotypy: the type species was fixed automatically because only one species was originally included in the genus.
• Loxia oryzivora Linnaeus: that single species was, in his view, Loxia oryzivora, the species name previously given by Carl Linnaeus to the Java sparrow.

It is generally assumed that Reichenbach based the name Padda on the Malay word padi (rice), because these birds are often found in rice fields. Personally, I rather think that he simply drew inspiration from the work of George Edwards in 1771. As you have read, Edwards was already using the name Padda for these species. In any case, with this the genus Padda had become a fact.

Second half of the 19th century
From the second half of the nineteenth century onward, ornithologists such as the Englishman Richard Bowdler Sharpe (1847–1909) and the Italian naturalist Tommaso Salvadori (1835–1923) began placing the Timor sparrow together with the Java sparrow in the genus Padda. In his monumental Catalogue of the Birds in the British Museum (1885–1890), Richard Bowdler Sharpe also included both Padda oryzivora and Padda fuscata within the same genus Padda. This was an important confirmation of the genus in the late nineteenth century, and by the end of that century this taxonomic arrangement was generally accepted.

1943. Genus transfer?
In A revision of the subfamily Estrildinae, published in Zoologica (New York) in 1943, Jean Théodore Delacour (1890–1985) still treated the genus Padda as a valid and clearly delimited genus. Delacour was born in France but was later naturalised as an American citizen. He described these birds as relatively large, with a very massive bill, strong legs, and a rounded black tail. According to him, the plumage is grey or brown, with a black head and throat and striking white cheek patches.

Delacour listed the two species within the genus as follows:

• Padda oryzivora — the Java sparrow, occurring on Java and Bali, but probably introduced elsewhere.
• Padda fuscata — the brown or Timor sparrow, native to Timor and Samao/Semau Island.

He also referred to the Russian ornithologist Sushkin, who regarded Padda as a well-distinguished genus because of its unusual anatomical characteristics. The Russian ornithologist Petr Petrovich Sushkin (1868–1928), also spelled Pyotr Sushkin, was a prominent and influential Russian and Soviet ornithologist. Delacour agreed with him and wrote that the appearance, way of life, and colour pattern clearly show that Padda forms a natural and recognisable group.

Second half of the twentieth century: Lonchura oryzivora
Despite Delacour’s clear view, researchers and systematists in Delacour’s wider school of thought (including Ernst Mayr, with whom he worked closely) moved in another direction and contributed to the idea that the species should be placed with the true mannikins in the genus Lonchura. As a result, during the second half of the twentieth century, almost all official lists (such as the Howard and Moore Checklist) adopted this treatment. The names became Lonchura oryzivora and Lonchura fuscata. This would remain the prevailing view for many decades.

1986. Christidis
As with many bird species, it was not until the 1980s that science could use DNA-related techniques to learn more about ancestry and family relationships. The Australian ornithologist Les Christidis was certainly one of the pioneers in this field. In 1986, Christidis used karyotyping—the study of the number and form of chromosomes—to map the evolutionary family tree of estrildid finches. At the time, this was a groundbreaking method, since researchers had previously relied mainly on outward appearance and behaviour.
He concluded that the Java sparrow has a chromosome structure that is almost identical to that of well-known species such as the white-rumped munia (Lonchura striata) and the scaly-breasted munia (Lonchura punctulata). Specifically, they share a particular form of the sixth chromosome pair [5]. Because the chromosomes are so similar, Christidis argued that the ricebird simply belongs in the genus Lonchura.
In a subsequent paper, a little over a year later, he presented his findings from a study of both the Java sparrow and the Timor sparrow. Christidis found that, although the two species look very similar, there are clear differences in the structure of their chromosomes, especially in the so-called macrochromosomes. This discovery supported the idea that the Timor sparrow is a separate species and not merely a colour variant or subspecies of the “ordinary” Java sparrow [6]. He also concluded—and I quote from his text—“There are no chromosomal or electrophoretic reasons for separating Padda Reichenbach, 1850 from Lonchura Sykes, 1832, and this is consistent with their behavioural and morphological similarities.”
His study also helped to clarify the position of these birds within the genus Lonchura (or, at that time, often still placed separately in the genus Padda) in relation to other Asian and Australian finches. Unlike the study a year earlier, Christidis now used not only karyotyping but also protein electrophoresis. Karyotyping reveals the complete chromosome map of a cell, whereas electrophoresis is the finer chemical analysis of specific DNA-related protein markers. In the laboratory, these techniques often complemented one another.

The American researcher Luis Felipe Baptista (1941–2000) published his article Relationships of some mannikins and waxbills in the Estrildidae in 1999 [7]. In this study, he combined several lines of investigation:

Biochemical/genetic research:
Genetic work was carried out using protein electrophoresis. In this approach, 22 specific protein-coding loci were examined in order to map hereditary variation and evolutionary relationships among the bird species.

External and anatomical features:
This included specific characteristics such as the down feathers of newly hatched chicks, the distinctive palate markings of nestlings, and the shape of the bill.

Behavioural characteristics:
The team examined a range of behaviours, such as specific courtship postures, threat behaviour, and whether the birds mate inside the nest or on a perch.

Sounds:
The researchers looked at the begging calls of nestlings and at whether females of the species in question sing.

All these different datasets were then combined in a computer program (PAUP) to calculate the exact evolutionary relationships by means of a phylogenetic analysis. According to the researchers, the conclusion was that Padda is not a valid genus. They proposed merging the genus Padda (together with the genus Euodice) into an expanded genus Lonchura.

2009. Arnaiz-Villena

The study, Estrildinae Finches (Aves, Passeriformes) from Africa, South Asia and Australia: a Molecular Phylogeographic Study, was led by the Spanish researcher Antonio Arnaiz-Villena. The work confirmed that the genus Padda belongs within the genus Lonchura [8]. The authors did, however, add a small scientific nuance: although the ricebird clearly falls within the Lonchura group, the statistical support for its exact position within that branch was relatively low. This meant that more genetic data were still needed to determine its precise “neighbours” on the tree with full confidence, even though, in their view, the broader placement within Lonchura was secure.

This specific 2009 article, together with a genetic study by Sorenson from 2004, was used by international ornithological committees as the “definitive DNA evidence” for officially abolishing the genus Padda and formally renaming the ricebird Lonchura oryzivora.

2020. Genome
The genome of the Java sparrow was largely unravelled and published in 2020 [9]. This happened as part of the large-scale international B10K (Bird 10,000 Genomes) Project, which aims to sequence the genomes of all bird species in the world. The B10K Project is one of the most ambitious and large-scale initiatives in modern biology. The goal is simple but enormous: to map the complete genetic code (the genome) of all approximately 10,500 living bird species on Earth. Our own research results on the genome of Agapornis roseicollis also form part of this genetic map [10], [11]. The project functions as an international mega-collaboration involving hundreds of scientists, universities (such as the University of Copenhagen and Rockefeller University), and natural history museums worldwide.

Naturally, these results are refined on a regular basis, and this is also true for the ricebird genome. A newer study (April 2026) from Sun Yat-Sen University indicates that the ricebird genome comprises about 1.2 billion base pairs, distributed across 41 chromosome pairs [12]. Step by step, the genes themselves can now also be mapped.

2020. Bach to Padda oryzivora
In 2020, Urban Olsson and Per Alström from Sweden presented an extensive revision of the estrildid finch family tree [13]. These researchers used much more advanced techniques and a larger number of genetic markers, both mitochondrial and nuclear DNA. They discovered that earlier studies had not determined the position of the ricebird accurately enough. Their data showed that Padda—the Java sparrow and the Timor sparrow—forms a separate, early side branch that has been distinct from the “true” Lonchura species for millions of years.

The DNA results from 2020 finally provided the scientific foundation for what Reichenbach had already sensed in 1850: the ricebird simply looks too different—larger in build, with a massive bill and different behaviour—to belong with the rest. Since this 2020 study, major authorities such as the IOC (International Ornithological Committee) have officially changed the name back from Lonchura to Padda.

The research also taught us that the evolutionary history of the genus Padda unfolded in two major steps: the separation from the main group and the eventual split into two distinct species.
The common ancestor of the ricebirds is thought to have branched off from the Lonchura group about 4.5 to 6.3 million years ago. From that moment onward, Padda formed its own independent evolutionary lineage.

After that first split, the ricebirds remained a single evolutionary line for millions of years. Only much more recently—around 1 to 1.5 million years ago—did the Java sparrow and the Timor sparrow begin to develop as separate species. This most likely happened because the ancestral ricebird became dispersed across the Lesser Sunda Islands of Indonesia. Strong fluctuations in sea level during the ice ages permanently cut off the different island populations from one another. As a result, the groups evolved independently. The population on Java and Bali developed into the larger Java sparrow (Padda oryzivora), while the isolated population on Timor and Semau became the slightly smaller, darker Timor sparrow (Padda fuscata).

What the future may still bring in taxonomic terms remains to be seen. Because, as always in taxonomy, the rule is: “Things can change.”

Yet despite all these changes, aviculture has continued to use the name “Padda” in most cases, whether the birds were classified in Loxia, Padda or Lonchura. To distinguish them, people speak of the “common padda” and the “brown padda.” For most enthusiasts, taxonomy remains a rather distant affair. Even so, this history shows that aviculture and science sometimes intersect in remarkable ways. While scientists spent decades shifting between Loxia, Lonchura and Padda, bird keepers continued stubbornly to call their birds “padda.” The groundbreaking DNA research of 2020 ultimately gave the enthusiast the finest compliment imaginable. It confirmed in black and white what the experienced eye had long suspected: with its robust build, massive bill and distinctive behaviour, the ricebird is simply too special to be lumped together with the rest. The name Padda has been restored to honour. The circle is complete, the bird has regained its rightful name, and the enthusiast may rightly say: “See? We knew it all along.”

But whether we refer to these characteristic birds as Lonchura or Padda, what should ultimately matter is the conservation of the species. The scientific unraveling of their family tree and genome reveals just how unique these island populations in Indonesia really are. Precisely now that the Java sparrow has Endangered status in the wild and the Timor sparrow stands at conservation code orange, taxonomy reminds us of the fragility of this evolutionary side branch. It is up to us, as enthusiasts and protectors, to ensure that these beautiful “ricebirds” do not survive only in our aviaries and in dusty DNA databases, but continue to skim over Asian fields for generations to come.

Dirk

Sources:

[1]          C. Lever, Naturalised birds of the world. A&C Black, 2010. Accessed: May 14, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://books.google.com/books?hl=nl&lr=&id=-G1X6khHQg0C&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=Naturalised+Bird+of+the+World&ots=36zpz8M0Y2&sig=gUS4xvcIBrkpBzAGyJBCj6A87nk
[2]          C. Erard, “Lever, C.—Naturalised birds of the world. T & AD Poyser, A & C Black Publishers, London. 2005,” Rev. DÉcologie Terre Vie, vol. 61, no. 2, pp. 206–206, 2006.
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[4]          B. I. (BirdLife International), “IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Padda oryzivora,” IUCN Red List Threat. Species, Aug. 2020, Accessed: May 14, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://www.iucnredlist.org/en
[5]          L. Christidis, “Chromosomal evolution within the family Estrildidae (Aves) II. The Lonchurae,” Genetica, vol. 71, no. 2, pp. 99–113, Nov. 1986, doi: 10.1007/BF00058692.
[6]          L. Christidis, “Biochemical systematics within palaeotropic finches (Aves: Estrildidae),” The Auk, vol. 104, no. 3, pp. 380–392, 1987.
[7]          L. F. Baptista, R. Lawson, E. Visser, and D. A. Bell, “Relationships of some mannikins and waxbills in the estrildidae,” J. Für Ornithol., vol. 140, no. 2, pp. 179–192, Apr. 1999, doi: 10.1007/BF01653597.
[8]          A. Arnaiz-Villena, V. Ruiz-del-Valle, P. Gomez-Prieto, R. Reguera, C. Parga-Lozano, and I. Serrano-Vela, “Estrildinae Finches (Aves, Passeriformes) from Africa, South Asia and Australia: a Molecular Phylogeographic Study,” Open Ornithol. J., vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 29–36, Aug. 2009, doi: 10.2174/1874453200902010029.
[9]          S. Feng et al., “Dense sampling of bird diversity increases power of comparative genomics,” Nature, vol. 587, no. 7833, Art. no. 7833, Nov. 2020, doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2873-9.
[10]       H. van der Zwan, C. Visser, M. Schoonen, and R. van der Sluis, “SNP discovery by resequencing the Agapornis roseicollis (Peach-faced lovebird) genome using Genome Analysis Toolkit,” 2019.
[11]       H. Van der Zwan, “De novo sequencing, assembly and annotation of the Agapornis roseicollis genome to identify variants for the development of genetic screening tests,” Thesis, North-West University (South Africa). Potchefstroom Campus, 2019. Accessed: Sep. 04, 2019. [Online]. Available: https://repository.nwu.ac.za:443/handle/10394/33154
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[13]       U. Olsson and P. Alström, “A comprehensive phylogeny and taxonomic evaluation of the waxbills (Aves: Estrildidae),” Mol. Phylogenet. Evol., vol. 146, p. 106757, May 2020, doi: 10.1016/j.ympev.2020.106757.