Genus of birds
Ixos is a genus of passerine birds in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae.
Taxonomy and systematics.
The genus "Ixos" was introduced in 1825 by the Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck to accommodate the Javan bulbul. The genus name is the Ancient Greek for "mistletoe".
Some authorities have advocated a complete merger of the genus "Ixos" with "Hypsipetes" – and even the entire ""Hypsipetes" group" of bulbuls, which also includes "Hemixos", "Iole" and "Tricholestes". Being the oldest genus name, "Ixos" would apply to all of them, rather than "Hypsipetes" as is often believed. This re-classification seems hardly appropriate however, since "Alophoixus" and "Setornis" cannot be excluded from the ""Hypsipetes" group", and an all-out merge would turn the resultant "genus" "Ixos" into an ill-defined "wastebin taxon". The erroneous inclusion of "I. virescens" in "Hypsipetes" has caused the Nicobar bulbul to be listed under its invalid junior synonym "H. nicobariensis" rather than the valid names "H. virescens" or "I. nicobariensis".
Extant species.
There are five extant species in the genus "Ixos":
Former species.
Formerly, some authorities also considered the following species (or subspecies) as species within the genus "Ixos":
Footnotes.
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