Birds Guide

Coccothraustes
Hawfinch
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia   Phylum: Chordata   Class: Aves   Order: Passeriformes   Family: Fringillidae   Genus: Coccothraustes Brisson, 1760
Species
See text.

Coccothraustes is a genus of large finches containing three species:

• Hawfinch Coccothraustes coccothraustes
  Evening Grosbeak Coccothraustes vespertinus
  Hooded Grosbeak Coccothraustes abeillei

These are large, bulky, short-tailed species, around 18 cm in length, with thick powerful bills for cracking the stones of fruit. They are hardy species, and even the two northern species usually only migrate from the coldest parts of their range.

The Evening Grosbeak of North America and the Hooded Grosbeak of Central America are closely related, and in the past were classified in the genus Hesperiphona, but are now usually placed in the same genus as the Eurasian Hawfinch.