Corvida I

Passerines

Tyranni: Suboscines

Passeri: Oscines

Passerida

Sylvioidea
Muscicapoidea and allies
Passeroidea

The 44 Orders

Paleognaths

Galloanserae

Metaves

Pelecanae

Charadriae

Passerae

Corvida

At this point the passerines divide into two branches, the Corvida and Passerida. Corvida is the smaller branch, so we consider it first. The use of “Corvida” for the clade sister to Passerida follows the logical terminology of Cracraft et al. (2004), although the term Corvoidea, or even “core Corvoidea” is in common use. The actual membership of Corvida is a bit different from Cracraft et al. as some families have been moved eleswhere in the phylogeny.

The taxonomy in Barker et al. (2004) suggests Corvida is divided into two superfamilies, Callaeoidea and Corvoidea. However, Irestedt and Ohlson (2008) argue, I think persuasively, that the Callaeoidea are really basal Passerida. With the Callaeoidea removed, the Corvida consist of a small basal family (Cinclosomatidae), and two large groups. Cracraft et al. (2004) refer to similar groups as Malaconotoidea and Corvoidea, although again, the exact membership has changed due to a somewhat different phylogeny. (Previous versions of this page erroneously used the term Campephagoidea for Malaconotoidea.)

Cinclosomatoidea

Cinclosomatidae: Jewel-babblers and Quail-thrushes

2 genera, 9 species HBW-12, as Eupetidae

Most studies that include put Ptilorrhoa in a relatively basal position in Corvida, with mulitgene studies by Jønsson et al. (2007), Irestedt and Ohlson (2008), and Irestedt et al. (2008) putting it at the base. However, other possibilities cannot be ruled out. Norman et al., (2009a) include it (and Cinclosoma) as a basal clade in the narrow Corvoidea. Although the evidence is not definitive, it provides some support for the treatment here.

Although there is some support for including Falcunculus, Psophodes, and even Eulacestoma in Cinclosomatidae (pieces of this are in Barker et al., 2004; Dumbacher, 2008; Reddy and Cracraft, 2007), the multigene analysis of Norman et al. (2009a) separates them, putting Eulacestoma and Falcunculus near or in the Pachycephalidae.

Sibley and Monroe's Cinclosomatinae included two extra genera: Eupetes and Ifrita, while HBW-12 (del Hoyo et al., 2007) also includes Melampitta. Barker et. al, 2004 suggested that Melampitta belonged in the monarchs (Monarchidae), but with weak support. They and the mudnesters (Corcoracidae) were thought to form a clade. Reddy and Cracraft (2007), using the same genes, found it either with the monarchs or mudnesters. Dumbacher et al. (2008) found it related to Ifrita, but did not include the necessary taxa to say where it goes. Irestedt et al. (2008) considered it basal in the narrowly construed Corvoidea. Finally, Norman et al. (2009a) include Ifrita in the monarchs. Putting all this together, the best bet seems to put both Ifrita and Melampitta somewhere in the monarchs.

Jønsson et al. (2007) showed that the rail-babbler Eupetes was really related to Chaetops and Picathartes. It is now in its own family Eupetidae.

Malaconotoidea

Again, we divide the remaining corvids into two parts. This time they are the Malaconotoidea and the Corvoidea.

There is a substantial amount of evidence that the families in Malaconotoidea form a clade. The arrangement of the the Malaconotoidea clade is based on Moyle et al. (2006b) and Norman et al. (2009a).

Oreoicidae: Crested Bellbird and allies

3 genera, 3 species Not HBW Family

Oreoicidae tree Norman et al. (2009a) find a small basal grouping in Malaconotoidea that includes Aleadryas and Oreoica, which Jønsson et al. (2008a) groups with the former Pitohui, Ornorectes. This clade becomes the family Oreoicidae.

One casualty of the restructing of the Corvida is the shrike-thrush family, Colluricinclidae. The Howard-Moore checklist includes two genera. Of those, Colluricinla joins the whistlers (Pacycephalidae), while Pitohui is split into 4 parts (Ornorectes, Pitohui, Pseudorectes, Melanorectes) and scattered across three families and two superfamilies. Both the Crested Pitohui and Crested Bellbird come from the defunct Colluricinclidae.

The pitohuis are interesting in themselves. They're poisonous! (Dumbacher et al., 1992.) You can read more about these birds at Dumbacher's website. Exactly which species belong to the pitohuis has not been exactly clear, so we shouldn't be entirely surprised that they are split apart. A paper by Jønsson et al. (2008a) finds that the pitohuis are not that closely related to each other. Accordingly, they end up in four genera (Ornorectes, Pitohui, Pseudorectes, and Melanorectes), in Oreoicidae, Oriolidae, and Pachycephalidae (2 places).

Campephagidae: Cuckooshrikes

6 genera, 92 species HBW-10

The results in Fuchs et al. (2007a) and Jønsson et al. (2008a, b) suggest some generic boundaries need to be redrawn for Coracina and the genera following it. The ordering of the minivets (Pericrocotus) is based on Jønsson et al. (2010b).

Artamidae: Woodswallows, Butcherbirds

6 genera, 26 species HBW-14

Artamidae tree I now follow Christidis and Boles (2008) by including the woodswallows, butcherbirds, and currawongs in the same family. There is an increasing body of genetic evidence that they form a clade. Baker et al. (2004) and Moyle et al. (2004b) placed them in the same clade, while Norman et al. (2009a) added the boatbills as a basal branch. The extra structure is handled here by ranking the boatbills (Machaerirhynchinae), woodswallows (Artaminae), and butcherbirds and currawongs (Cracticinae) as subfamilies.

Vangidae: Vangas

21 genera, 39 species HBW-14

Vangidae tree Both IOC and Roberson's Family List 9 treat this group as three families: Prionopidae (Helmetshrikes), Tephrodornithdae (Woodshrikes and allies), and Vangidae. The IOC list also places Megabyas and Bias in Platysteiridae, while Roberson apparently includes them in Prionopidae (or at least did in version 8). I find this arrangement hard to justify on molecular grounds. It's clear enough that these species form a clade, but the balance of the evidence is that that the IOC's Tephrodornithdae are polyphyletic due to the presence of Philentoma. Moreover, there is evidence that Prionops is embedded in the vanga clade, e.g., the maximum likelihood and Bayesian trees in Fuchs et al. (2004) have them sister to Bias and Megabyas, with all three genera sister to two of the core vangids.

The papers by Yamagishi et al. (2001), Fuchs et al. (2004, 2006b, 2007a), Moyle et al. (2006b), and Johansson et al. (2008a) help clarify the relation between the vangas (Vangidae), the wattle-eyes and batises (Platysteiridae), and the bush-shrikeds (Malaconotidae). Some genera have moved around, mostly in or out of the vangas. Even compared to the recent treatment of Dickinson et al. (2003), the vangas gained Prionops from Malaconotidae, the uncertainly placed Tephrodornis and Philentoma, Megabyas and Bias from Platysteiridae, and Hemipus from the Campephagidae. Stepping back a couple of years: Tylas was sometimes considered a bulbul (correctly identified as a vanga by Beecher, 1953), Newtonia was thought to be a Sylviioid or Muscicapoid, and Hypositta was considered a Parid or Sittid. For those interested in examing an old taxonomy of the Passerida, I recommend taking a look at the diagram on page 324 of Beecher. Johansson et al. (2008a) show convincingly that Mystacornis is a vangid (Crossley's Vanga, formerly Crossley's Babbler).

It is possible that there is still a vanga or two hidden in other families. However, none of the Vanga genera below belong elsewhere. It's a bit difficult to arrange them coherently since none the studies have included all of the key genera. Yamagishi et al. (2001) included all of the Madagascan vanga genera except for Mystacornis and Pseudobias. The position of those two is correspondingly uncertain. Tylas, which is basal in the Madagascan vangas has not been included in any other studies. However, it is likely these species form a monophyletic clade (i.e., all of the vangas from Tylas onward). The other vangas are not Madagascan. Of the rest, Hemipus and Tephrodornis are close, and probably in a clade with Prionops, Megabyas, and Bias. The position of Philentoma remains uncertain, and I'm treating this as a basal polytomy between Philentoma, Prionops, the Megabyas clade and the Madagascan clade. There is some chance that Philentoma belongs in the Megabyas clade, and that all of the non-Madagascan vangas form a clade sister to the Madagascan vangas. If so, it might deserve recognition as a family, Prionopidae.

Platysteiridae: Wattle-eyes, Batises

4 genera, 31 species HBW-11

Platysteiridae tree For version 2.01, I've followed the recommendation of Njabo et al. (2008) and merged Dyaphorophyia into Platysteira. They found that those two genera are more closely related to each other than to Lanioturdus. The order here reflects that.

Norman et al. (2009a) place Rhagologus near Batis, which suggests Rhagologus belongs in the Platysteiridae. However, it is uncertain exactly where it goes, or even if it belongs here. This New Guinean endemic seems a bit out of place among all of these African birds. There is stronger evidence for putting it somewhere in this Artamidae-Malaconotidae clade, rather than precisely in Platysteiridae, and even if it is not in Platysteiridae, it is still most likely to be in the Platysteiridae-Malaconotidae clade.

Pityriaseidae: Bristlehead

1 genus, 1 species HBW-14

Moyle et al. (2006b) found that the Bristlehead and Ioras together are sister to the bush-shrikes (Malaconotidae), with the whole shebang sister to our enlarged vanga family. This is also consistent with Barker et al. (2004), which doesn't examine the Bristlehead. If the genetic evidence were a little stronger, I would probably merge the Pityriaseidae into the Aegithinidae.

Aegithinidae: Ioras

1 genus, 4 species HBW-10

Malaconotidae: Bush-shrikes, Puffbacks

8 genera, 50 species HBW-14

Laniarius has been reordered using Nguembock et al. (2008c). Based on their work, the Somali Boubou, Laniarius erlangeri, and East Coast Boubou, Laniarius sublacteus, have been split from Tropical Boubou, Laniarius aethiopicus. They also found that the Bulo Burti Boubou, Laniarius liberatus, was a color morph of the Somali Boubou, Laniarius erlangeri. Finally, Tropical Boubou, Laniarius aethiopicus, is split into Tropical Boubou, Laniarius major, and Ethiopian Boubou, Laniarius aethiopicus. I would expect more changes for this genus in the future.

Following the recommendations of Fuchs et al. (2004), Rhodophoneus has been submerged in Telophorus, as have the undergrowth species of Chlorophoneus (dohertyi, viridis, and quadricolor).

Corvoidea

The Corvoidea are the sister group to the Malaconotoidea.

The taxonomy of Corvoidea is currently in an especially confused state. Norman et al. (2009a) seems to only make things worse. The more genes that are compared, the more possible phylogenies. Right now, about all that can be said is that there are some relatively basal groups, and a core group. Among the basal groups, there's some indication that Paramythiidae, Oriolidae, and Pachycephalidae are more closely related to each other than to the rest, but it is not definitive. For now, we treat the first five families as though they are in a polytomy with the pachycephalid group and the core Corvoidea (keep in mind that I use Corvoidea in a way similar to Cracraft et al., 2004).

Neosittidae: Sittellas

1 genus, 3 species HBW-12

The basal groups starts with the Neosittidae (sitellas), which were formerly considered part of the Pachycephalidae. Jønsson (2008b) put them here, although Barker et al. (2004) considered them more basal in the Corvida.

Mohouidae: Whitehead and allies

2 genera, 3 species Not HBW Family

The Mohouidae have previously been included in many different families. Writing in HBW-13, Boles (2007) mentions Paridae, Timaliidae, Orthonychidae, Campephagidae, Sylviidae, Maluridae, and Acanthizidae. The Acanthizidae option was followed by Sibley and Monroe (1990), Dickinson et al. (2003) and version 2.0 of the IOC checklist (Jan 2009). Boles (2007) includes them in Pachycephalidae. However, the evidence for any of these is very weak. Using recent results of Norman et al. (2009a), I've moved to a basal position in my narrowly construed Corvoidea.

Boles merges Finschia into Mohoua. They appear to be very closely related, possibly congeneric, whether one looks at osteology (Olson, 1990) or DNA hybridization (Sibley and Ahlquist, 1987).

Psophodidae: Whipbirds and Wedgebills

2 genera, 6 species Not HBW Family

These are sometimes considered a single genus, Psophodes. They have been thought to be close to the Cinclosomatidae, but Norman et al. (2009a) put them in the basal portion of Corvoidea (in the narrowest sense).

Vireonidae: Vireos

6 genera, 58 species HBW-15

Vireonidae tree Next come the vireos. They were once thought to be closely related to the wood-warblers (Parulidae). When Sibley and Ahlquist discovered the corvid group, they found that the vireos (and shrikes) were members of it. Some thought it odd that the vireos, with an old world origin, had no remaining old world members. While it is true that it seemed odd, it is false that there are no old world members. They do have some old world relations. They've been hiding out among the babblers (Timaliidae). One is Erpornis zantholeuca (nee Yuhina zantholeuca). Rather than being a babbler like the other Yuhinas, it is actually a vireo relative. More recently, Reddy and Cracraft (2007) found that the shrike-babblers (Pteruthius) are also vireo relatives. Right now, the choices are either to call them all vireos or to have 3 families of vireos and allies. Since there are now more old world vireos known than before, Epornis and Pteruthius, they seem less special. Thus I take the former route for the present, keeping in mind that the discovery of additional vireo taxa might change things.

There is some uncertainty about whether Vireolanius or Cyclarhis is closer to Hylophilus and Vireo. Although it is not clearcut, the balance of the evidence is that Cyclarhis is closer (see Cicero and Johnson, 2001; Reddy, 2008). It is also not entirely clear that Hylophilus and Vireo form separate clades (Cicero and Johnson, 2001).

Paramythiidae: Painted Berrypeckers

2 genera, 2 species HBW-13

The painted berrypeckers (Paramythiidae) are removed from the Melanocharitidae (Passerida) and placed in their own family. In principle, the Paramythiidae could be lumped with the Oriolidae, but they are distinctive enough to get their own family, sister to the Oriolidae.

Oriolidae: Orioles, Figbirds

3 genera, 34 species HBW-13

Oriolidae tree

Pachycephalidae: Whistlers

7 genera, 55 species HBW-12

Pachycephalidae tree Accordingly to the analysis of Norman et al. (2009a), Eulacestoma is basal, with Falcunculus branching off next. The distance between them and the rest of the Pachycephalidae seems substantial, and it might be reasonable to consider them separate families, or at least subfamilies. This is particularly true of Eulacestoma, where support was weak.

The shrike-thrushes have been included with the whistlers (Pachycephalidae) due to the analysis in Jønsson et al. (2008b, 2010a). They also found that the Olive-flanked Whistler (Hylocitrea bonensis) is not only not a whistler, but belongs somewhere in Passerida, not Corvida.

Based on Jøsson et al. (2008b, 2010a), The Sangihe Shrike-thrush has been transferred to Coracornis. Using different data sets, Dumbacher et al. (2008) and Jøsson et al. (2008b, 2010a) found that the Morningbird, which is sometimes placed in Colluricincla, sometimes in Pitohui, actually belongs in Pachycephala. The order in Pachycephala roughly conforms to Jøsson et al. (2010a). There are indications in Jøsson et al. (2010a) that some species limits need revision, but the exact nature of this remains unclear.

Previous Page Next Page