Parmoptila jamesoni (Shelley, 1890)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Jameson's antpecker (Parmoptila jamesoni) is a songbird species found in central Africa. Like all antpeckers, it is tentatively placed in the estrildid finch family (Estrildidae). It has traditionally been included as a subspecies of P. rubrifrons (red-fronted antpecker) and the common name Jameson's antpecker was sometimes used for both taxa. But today, they are often considered distinct species.
Jameson's antpecker inhabits tropical lowland moist forest in Uganda, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. When Jameson's and the red-fronted antpeckers were still evaluated as one species, they were classified as a species of least concern by the IUCN. Unlike its western relative which is declining noticeably, P. jamesoni is still common and widespread. Therefore, its status has not changed after its elevation to a full species.
Jameson's antpecker is named after James Sligo Jameson. Given Jameson's violent behavior in Africa, ornithologists have suggested changing the common name of this species.
Wikipedia contributors, Jameson's antpecker; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T14:06:25.083925+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Parmoptila jamesoni (Shelley, 1890)
- Name authority
- (Shelley, 1890)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Estrildidae
- Genus
- Parmoptila
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyEstrildidae Bonaparte, 1850
- genusParmoptila Cassin, 1859
- speciesParmoptila jamesoni (Shelley, 1890)
Close classified relatives
No other member of this genus is present in the selected snapshot.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=916644 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:6TRBS. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.