Pytilia is a genus of small brightly coloured seed-eating birds in the family Estrildidae.

The genus Pytilia was introduced in 1837 by the English naturalist William Swainson for the red-winged pytilia.

[1][2] The name Pytilia is a diminutive of the genus Pitylus that had been introduced in 1829 by the French naturalist Georges Cuvier for the grosbeaks.

[3] A molecular phylogenetic study has shown that the genus is basal to a clade containing the twinspots in the genera Euschistospiza, Hypargos and Clytospiza and the firefinches in Lagonosticta.

[4] The genus contains five species:[5] This Estrildidae-related article is a stub.