Songbird Classification
Suborder Acanthisitti[edit]
- Acanthisittidae: New Zealand "wrens"
Rainbow Pitta (Pitta iris), a fairly dark ground-living bird with brilliant color patches, like most Pittidae.
Suborder Tyranni[edit]Suboscines
- Infraorder Eurylaimides – Old World suboscines (or Broad-billed suboscines). Probably a separate suborder.
- Superfamily Eurylaimoidea – broadbills and allies
- Eurylaimidae: broadbills
- Philepittidae: asities
- Sapayoidae: Broad-billed Sapayoa
- Superfamily Pittoidea
- Pittidae: pittas
- Superfamily Eurylaimoidea – broadbills and allies
Adult male Golden-headed Manakins(Pipra erythrocephala) have striking display plumage, as do many of their relatives.
- Infraorder Tyrannides – New World suboscines
- Superfamily N.N. – "bronchophones"
- Tyrannidae: tyrant flycatchers
- Tityridae: tityras and allies.
- Cotingidae: Guianan Cock-of-the-rock and Cock-of-the-rock
- Pipridae: manakins
- Superfamily Furnarioidea – tracheophones
- Furnariidae: ovenbirds and woodcreepers
- Thamnophilidae: antbirds
- Formicariidae: antthrushes
- Grallariidae: antpittas
- Rhinocryptidae: typical tapaculos
- Conopophagidae: gnateaters and gnatpittas
- Melanopareiidae: crescent-chests
- Superfamily N.N. – "bronchophones"
Noisy Scrub-bird (Atrichornis clamosus), one of the most plesiomorphicPasseri.
Suborder Passeri[edit]Songbirds or oscines
- Basal Passeri – the most ancient true songbirds, endemic to Australia. Sometimes considered a superfamily "Menuroidea"[verification needed].
- Menuridae: lyrebirds
- Atrichornithidae: scrub-birds
Yellow-faced Honeyeater
- Superfamily Meliphagoidea – mainly insectivores and nectarivores, distribution centered on Australo-Melanesian region extending into surroundings, notably the Pacific.
- Maluridae: fairywrens, emu-wrens and grasswrens
- Dasyornithidae: bristlebirds. Formerly in Acanthizidae.
- Acanthizidae: scrubwrens, thornbills, and gerygones
- Meliphagidae: honeyeaters
- Meliphagoidea incertae sedis
- Pardalotidae: pardalotes. Formerly in Acanthizidae, might be included in Meliphagidae.
- Acanthorhynchus: spinebills. Usually included in Meliphagidae; might be considered amonotypic family if Pardalotidae are considered valid too.
- Superfamily Corvoidea – a highly diverse group of global distribution, but most plentiful in the Australasian region and surroundings. The oldest truly globally successful group of passerines, they include among them what may well be the most intelligent and the most spectacular of the order.
Male Stitchbird or hihi (Notiomystis cincta) showing convergence with honeyeaters.
Yellow-crowned Gonolek (Laniarius barbarus: Malaconotidae)
The Hawaiian Crow or ʻalala (Corvus hawaiiensis) is nearly extinct; only a few dozen birds survive in captivity.- Melanocharitidae: berrypeckers and longbills. Tentatively placed here.
- Callaeidae: New Zealand wattlebirds. Tentatively placed here.
- Family N.N.: Stitchbird. Tentatively placed here.
- Cnemophilidae: satinbirds. Tentatively placed here.
- Neosittidae: sittellas
- Vireonidae: vireos
- Campephagidae: cuckoo-shrikes and trillers
- Pachycephalidae: whistlers and allies. Delimitation with regards to several proposed families and subfamilies requires thorough study.
- Oriolidae: orioles and Figbird
- Paramythiidae: Tit Berrypecker and Crested Berrypecker. Formerly in Passerida.
- Artamidae: woodswallows, butcherbirds, currawongs and Australian Magpie
- Malaconotidae: puffback shrikes, bush shrikes, tchagras and boubous
- Platysteiridae: wattle-eyes. Formerly in Passerida. Probably paraphyletic.
- Aegithinidae: ioras
- Pityriaseidae: Bornean Bristlehead. Tentatively placed here.
- Prionopidae: helmetshrikes and woodshrikes
- Vangidae: vangas
- Dicruridae: drongos
- Monarchidae: monarch flycatchers
- Rhipiduridae: fantails
- Paradisaeidae: birds of paradise
- Corcoracidae: White-winged Chough and Apostlebird
- Laniidae: shrikes
- Corvidae: crows, ravens and jays
- Corvoidea incertae sedis
- Vireolanius: shrike-vireos. Usually included in Vireonidae, possibly a monotypic family,
- Erpornis: White-bellied Erpornis. Formerly in Yuhina (Passerida: Timaliidae); possibly a monotypic family, possibly in Vireonidae
- Colluricinclidae: shrike-thrushes. Often included in Pachycephalidae but perhaps recognizable as a subfamily at least.
- Cinclosomatidae: whipbirds and allies. Contains Psophodidae but that might make it paraphyletic. At least some species belong in Pachycephalidae if Falcunculinae are not considered a distinct family.
- Falcunculidae: Shrike-tit and allies. Usually included in Pachycephalidae; might be distinct family or merged in Cinclosomatidae or Psophodidae[verification needed].
- "Pitohuidae": pitohuis. Usually included in Pachycephalidae but seem closer to Oriolidae and best considered a distinct family including Oreoica and possibly other Pachycephalidae sensu lato.
- Melampitta: melampittas. Two very puzzling birds of unclear systematics; the monophyly of the genus was long disputed. Maybe a basal offshoot of the Monarchidae, maybe a family of their own genus
- Paradisaeidae: birds of paradise
- Corcoracidae: White-winged Chough and Apostlebird
- Laniidae: shrikes
- Corvidae: crows, ravens and jays
- Corvoidea incertae sedis
- Vireolanius: shrike-vireos. Usually included in Vireonidae, possibly a monotypic family,
- Erpornis: White-bellied Erpornis. Formerly in Yuhina (Passerida: Timaliidae); possibly a monotypic family, possibly in Vireonidae
- Colluricinclidae: shrike-thrushes. Often included in Pachycephalidae but perhaps recognizable as a subfamily at least.
- Cinclosomatidae: whipbirds and allies. Contains Psophodidae but that might make it paraphyletic. At least some species belong in Pachycephalidae if Falcunculinae are not considered a distinct family.
- Falcunculidae: Shrike-tit and allies. Usually included in Pachycephalidae; might be distinct family or merged in Cinclosomatidae or Psophodidae[verification needed].
- "Pitohuidae": pitohuis. Usually included in Pachycephalidae but seem closer to Oriolidae and best considered a distinct family including Oreoica and possibly other Pachycephalidae sensu lato.
- Melampitta: melampittas. Two very puzzling birds of unclear systematics; the monophyly of the genus was long disputed. Maybe a basal offshoot of the Monarchidae, maybe a family of their own.
- Passeri (mainly "Corvida") incertae sedis
The tiny Goldcrest (Regulus regulus) belongs to a minor but highly distinct lineage of Passeri.- Possible superfamily "Ptilonorhynchoidea"[verification needed] – bowerbirds and Australian treecreepers
- Climacteridae: Australian treecreepers
- Turnagridae: Piopio (extinct)
- Ptilonorhynchidae: bowerbirds
- Possible superfamily N.N. – logrunners and pseudo-babblers
- Orthonychidae: logrunners
- Pomatostomidae: pseudo-babblers
- Petroicidae: Australian robins
- Possible superfamily N.N.
- Picathartidae: rockfowl.
- Chaetopidae: rock-jumpers. Recently split from Turdidae.
- Eupetidae: Malaysian Rail-babbler. Recently split from Cinclosomatidae.
- Possible monotypic superfamily Reguloidea – kinglets
- Regulidae: kinglets
- Possible monotypic superfamily N.N.
- Family N.N.: Hyliotas. Recently split from Sylviidae.
- Irenidae: fairy-bluebirds. Reguloidea? Basal to/in Passeroidea?
- Chloropseidae: leafbirds. Reguloidea? Basal to/in Passeroidea?
- Infraorder Passerida[edit]
Lesser Striped Swallow (Cecropis abyssinica), showing some apomorphies of its ancient yet highly advanced lineage.- Superfamily Sylvioidea – insectivores, distribution centered on the Indo-Pacific region. Few occur in the Australian region and fewer still in the Americas. Usually sleek and drab birds, few have pronounced sexual dimorphism.
Blyth's Reed-warbler (Acrocephalus dumetorum) is now in the Acrocephalidae.- Nicatoridae: nicators; have been classed as bulbuls in the past but appear to have no close relatives.
- Panuridae: the Bearded Reedling; formerly classed as a parrotbill but seems to be closest to the larks.
- Alaudidae: larks
- Hirundinidae: swallows and martins
- Pnoepygidae: pygmy wren-babblers; apparently unrelated to other babblers
- Macrosphenidae: African warblers such as longbills[disambiguation needed] and crombecs; a recently proposed family whose composition is still uncertain
- Phylloscopidae: leaf-warblers and allies. Recently split from Sylviidae.
- Aegithalidae: long-tailed tits or bushtits[24]
- Cettiidae: ground-warblers and allies. Recently split from Sylviidae.
- Locustellidae: grass-warblers and allies. Recently split from Sylviidae.
- Donacobiidae: the Black-capped Donacobius; previously classed as a wren but probably closest to the Locustellidae or Bernieridae
- Bernieridae: Malagasy warblers. A newly assembled family.
- Acrocephalidae: marsh- and tree-warblers. Recently split from Sylviidae.
- Pycnonotidae: bulbuls
- Cisticolidae: cisticolas and allies
- Timaliidae: tree babblers
- Pellorneidae: ground babblers
- Leiothrichidae: laughingthrushes and allies
- Sylviidae: Sylvia warblers and allies
- Zosteropidae: white-eyes and allies
- Superfamily Muscicapoidea – mostly insectivores, near-global distribution centered on Old World tropics. One family endemic to Americas. Nearly absent (except introductions) from the Australian region. Usually rather stocky for their size, most are quite dark and dull thoughSturnidae are commonly iridescent and/or colorful. Sexual dimorphism often absent, sometimes pronounced.
- Cinclidae: dippers
- Muscicapidae: Old World flycatchers and chats. Monophyly needs confirmation.
- Turdidae: thrushes and allies. Monophyly needs confirmation.
- Buphagidae: oxpeckers. Formerly usually included in Sturnidae.
- Sturnidae: starlings and possibly Philippine creepers. Placement of latter in Muscicapoidea seems good, but inclusion in Sturnidae requires confirmation; possibly distinct family Rhabdornithidae.
- Mimidae: mockingbirds and thrashers
- Superfamily Certhioidea – wrens and allies. Sometimes included in Muscicapoidea.
- Sittidae: nuthatches
- Tichodromadidae: Wallcreeper: Traditionally placed as a subfamily of the nuthatches and more rarely of the treecreepers, no study has been able to verify either placement this far. Thus it is better considered a monotypic family, at least for the time being.
- Certhiidae: treecreepers
- Salpornithidae: Spotted Creeper. Tentatively placed here; often considered a subfamily of the Certhidae.
- Troglodytidae: wrens
- Polioptilidae: gnatcatchers
- Superfamily Passeroidea – mostly herbivores including many seed-eaters, near-global distribution centered on Palearctic and Americas. Includes the Nine-primaried oscines(probably a subclade). A very high proportion of colorful and highly sexually dimorphic forms.
- Passeridae: true sparrows
- Prunellidae: accentors
- Motacillidae: wagtails and pipits
- Urocynchramidae: Przewalski's Finch. Recently split from Fringillidae; tentatively placed here.
- Estrildidae: estrildid finches (waxbills, munias, etc.)
- Ploceidae: weavers. Certain members of Ploceidae, such as the Long-tailed Widowbirdare well known for their elaborate sexual ornaments.
- Viduidae: indigobirds and whydahs
- Nine-primaried oscines:
- Peucedramidae: Olive Warbler
- Fringillidae: true finches and Hawaiian honeycreepers. Possibly polyphyletic.
- Icteridae: grackles, New World blackbirds, and New World orioles
- Parulidae: New World warblers
- Thraupidae: tanagers and allies
- Cardinalidae: cardinals
- Emberizidae: buntings and American sparrows
- Passeroidea incertae sedis
- Coerebidae: Bananaquit. Family invalid or not monotypic; reallocation pending.
- Passerida incertae sedis – Rather basal Passerida, most of which seem to constitute several small but distinct lineages that could be considered superfamilies. Most occur in Asia, Africa and North America.
- Possible superfamily Paroidea – titmice and allies. Might be included in Sylvioidea.
- Paridae: tits, chickadees and titmice
- Remizidae: penduline tits. Sometimes included in Paridae.
- Stenostiridae: stenostirids ("flycatcher-tits"). A newly assembled family; sometimes included in Paridae.
- Possible superfamily Bombycilloidea – waxwings and allies. Included in Muscicapoidea if Sittoidea/Certhioidea are not considered a distinct superfamily.
- Bombycillidae: waxwings
- Dulidae: Palmchat. Tentatively placed here.
- Ptiliogonatidae: silky flycatchers. Tentatively placed here.
- Hypocoliidae: Hypocolius. Tentatively placed here.
- Mohoidae[25][26]
- Possible superfamily "Dicaeoidea" – sunbirds and flowerpeckers. Might be included in Passeroidea.
- Nectariniidae: sunbirds
- Dicaeidae: flowerpeckers
- Possible monotypic superfamily N.N.
- Promeropidae: sugarbirds. Might be included in Passeroidea.
- Superfamily Sylvioidea – insectivores, distribution centered on the Indo-Pacific region. Few occur in the Australian region and fewer still in the Americas. Usually sleek and drab birds, few have pronounced sexual dimorphism.
- Possible superfamily "Ptilonorhynchoidea"[verification needed] – bowerbirds and Australian treecreepers