Pipilo
Pipilo is a genus of birds in the family Passerellidae. It is one of two genera of birds usually identified as towhees.
The genus Pipilo was introduced by the French ornithologist Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot in 1816 with the eastern towhee as the type species. The name Pipilo is New Latin for "bunting" from pipilare "to chirp".
There has been considerable debate over the taxonomy of towhees in recent years. Two species complexes have been identified, the rufous-sided complex, and the brown towhee complex. The distinction of species within these is uncertain and opinions have differed over the years. Modern authorities distinguish all four species in the brown towhee complex, though M. fuscus and M. crissalis were formerly treated as a single species. Hybrids are frequent between some of the species, particularly between the Mexican races of P. maculatus and P. ocai.Species
