1 We have just one infraorder left: Passerida, a radiation including the Old World sparrows and relatives-- 74 related families. We’ll split this into three presentations, 31 in this one.
2 only two families to know of this first 14…
3 Family Melanocharitidae – berrypeckers and longbills (10 species)
New Guinea
4 Family Cnemophilidae – satinbirds (3 species)
New Guinea
5 Family Callaeidae – New Zealand wattlebirds (5 species)
New Zealand
6 Family Notiomystidae – stitchbird (1 species)
New Zealand
7 Family Petroicidae – Australasian robins (49 species)
8 Family Picathartidae – rockfowl (2 species)
Rainforests of Africa
9 Family Chaetopidae – rockjumpers (2 species)
Africa
10 Family Eupetidae – rail-babbler (1 species)
Malay peninsula and Sumatra
11 Family Stenostiridae – fairy flycatchers (9 species)
Africa
12 Family Paridae – tits and chickadees (64 species)
Holarctic and Africa
You’ve seen our two species, titmouse & chickadee
13 Family Remizidae – penduline tits (11 species)
Eurasia, Africa, North America in NY, nothing, but we have the verdin in southwest.
14 Family Hyliotidae – hyliotas (4 species)
Africa
15 Family Nicatoridae – nicators (3 species)
Africa
16 Family Panuridae – bearded reedling (1 species) temperate Europe and Asia
17 10 families in NAm, out of this next 17, although all of them are primarily Old World except the larks and swallows.
18 Family Alaudidae – larks (97 species)
We’ve only got one sp in NY, which you’ve seen– the horned lark
This is the typical and much poeticized Eurasian skylark, or simply “lark”.
19 Family Pycnonotidae – bulbuls (151 species) huge family of distinctive birds, mostly African and Asian represented in NAm by the red-whiskered bulbul which was introduced to Hawaii and Florida, but also the invasive red-vented bulbul introduced to Hawaii
20 Family Hirundinidae – swallows and martins (88 species)
Cosmopolitan
We have 6 in NY: two we’ve seen (barn and tree swallows). This one the purple martin is also common but you have to look for the white condos people put up for it. Then there’s also the northern rough-winged, bank, and cliff swallows.
21 Family Pnoepygidae – wren-babblers (5 species)
Also known as cupwings. cute little things. Southern Asia Phylogenetically somewhere between two large multi-family groups, the (Old World) warblers and the babblers (which are both coming up next).
22 Family Macrosphenidae – crombecs and African warblers (18 species)
Now we begin a series of families that are all apparently related to the Old World Warblers. Many of these were once grouped together but now we separate them out as different families. They are mostly small drab birds. This one’s an exception.
Macrosphenidae are the “African warblers”, found in Africa. An early offshoot of the warblers.
23 Family Aegithalidae – bushtits (13 species)
Also called the long-tailed tits. Eurasian active birds; but one is in NAm– the American bushtit in the west.
24 Family Phylloscopidae – leaf warblers and allies (77 species)
Major branch of Old World warblers, in Eurasia and Africa.
Several are listed for NAm as rare visitors, but this Arctic warbler belongs here-- breeds in Alaska.
Remember, despite it being in NAm and being called a warbler, it is not related to the wood-warblers in our own area!
25 Family Cettiidae – cettia bush warblers and allies (32 species)
Another family of warblers recently separated out by DNA– the bush warblers and their relatives. Widespread in the Old World.
Japanese bush-warbler was introduced to Hawaii. it’s often called the Japanese nightingale, nice dawn singer in Japan.
26 Family Acrocephalidae – reed warblers and allies (61 species)
Rather large warblers, a main radiation of the OW warblers. Mainly western Eurasia but some in the Pacific and Africa.
Two are known from NAm: the millerbird (introduced to Hawaii) and the sedge warbler (rare visitor)
The great reed warbler is a well-studied bird in Britain and Europe, especially as a host of the common cuckoo.
27 Family Cisticolidae – cisticolas and allies (158 species)
The biggest OW warbler family, of warm Old World areas.
28 Family Locustellidae – grassbirds and allies (62 species)
Another main radiation of warblers that was distinguished by DNA.
Old World.
Includes the thicketbirds, such as this one from Papua New Guinea.
29 Family Donacobiidae – black-capped donacobius (1 species)
South American very noticeable and loud bird, extends up into Panama so is on the NAm list.
30 Family Bernieridae – Malagasy warblers (11 species)
All Madagascar endemics.
31 Family Timaliidae – babblers (55 species)
A diverse, mostly loud and exuberant bunch of birds. Used to have hundreds of species, now most were removed to other families following DNA evidence. Some of these we’ve already covered as they are considered warblers. More are following; but this is the core group.
Old World
Arabian babbler well studied for its social behavior and other things.
Listed as NAm family incorrectly on your birds of the world list– those three species have been moved to another family.
32 Family Pellorneidae – fulvettas and ground babblers (70 species)
Old World, mostly in South Asia.
33 Family Leiothrichidae – laughingthrushes (133 species) mainly tropical Asia
This is a large family of babbler-like birds– the largest babbler-like radiation– that includes three species introduced to Hawaii, such as this pretty one.
It is incorrectly presented without underlining in your Birds of the World checklist because these three species have still not been moved out of the Timaliidae by the AOU, but they will be.
34 Family Sylviidae – sylviid babblers (70 species)
This large radiation is another core warbler-babbler group that used to have tons more species in it– more than 400! It was widely considered a phylogenetic “wastebin” because nobody knew how to divide up the family. Although considered warblers for most of our history, they are actually more closely related to the babblers.
Mostly Old World, except for this the wrentit which is native to the west coast of North America. So yes, the wrentit is neither a wren nor a tit, and sort of neither a babbler or warbler either. Talk about identity issues.
35