Old World warblers are a large group of birds formerly grouped together in the bird family Sylviidae. The family held over 400 species in over 70 genera, and were the source of much taxonomic confusion. Two families were split out initially, the cisticolas into Cisticolidae and the kinglets into Regulidae. In the past ten years they have been the subject of much research and many species are now placed into other families, including the Acrocephalidae, Cettiidae, Phylloscopidae, and Megaluridae. In addition some species have been moved into existing families or have not yet had their placement fully resolved. A smaller family of warblers, together with some babblers formerly placed in the family Timaliidae and the parrotbills, are retained in a much smaller family Sylviidae.
The Old World babblers or Timaliidae are a family of mostly Old World passerine birds. They are rather diverse in size and coloration, but are characterised by soft fluffy plumage. These are birds of tropical areas, with the greatest variety in Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. The timaliids are one of two unrelated groups of birds known as babblers, the other being the Australasian babblers of the family Pomatostomidae.
The white-eyes are a family Zosteropidae of small passerine birds native to tropical, subtropical and temperate Sub-Saharan Africa, southern and eastern Asia, and Australasia. White-eyes inhabit most tropical islands in the Indian Ocean, the western Pacific Ocean, and the Gulf of Guinea. Discounting some widespread members of the genus Zosterops, most species are endemic to single islands or archipelagos. The silvereye, Zosterops lateralis, naturally colonised New Zealand, where it is known as the "wax-eye" or tauhou ("stranger"), from 1855. The silvereye has also been introduced to the Society Islands in French Polynesia, while the Japanese white-eye has been introduced to Hawaii.
The malia is a medium-sized babbler-like passerine. It has an olive-green plumage, yellowish head and chest, and pinkish-brown bill. The young is duller than adult. It is the only member of the genus Malia.
The Visayan miniature babbler is a bird species in the family Cisticolidae. It was for a long time the only member of the genus Micromacronus, but the Mindanao miniature babbler, formerly included in M. leytensis as a subspecies, is now usually held to be a distinct species, M. sordidus.
The pied shrike-babbler is a bird species traditionally considered an aberrant Old World babbler and placed in the family Timaliidae. But as it seems, it belongs to an Asian offshoot of the American vireos and may well belong in the Vireonidae. Indeed, since long it was noted that their habits resemble those of vireos, but this was believed to be the result of convergent evolution.
The Sikkim wedge-billed babbler or blackish-breasted babbler is a species of bird in the Old World babbler family (Timaliidae). It is named for the Indian state of Sikkim.
The Mindanao pygmy babbler is a bird species endemic to the Philippines. It had been placed in the family Timaliidae, but it is a close relative of the white-eyes however, and many taxonomists now place it in the family Zosteropidae.
The Bagobo babbler or Bagobo robin is a monotypic species of bird, once placed in the Old World babbler family Timaliidae, later placed in Pellorneidae, but molecular studies show it belongs to the family Muscicapidae. It is endemic to the Philippines.
The Iraq babbler is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae, native to reed beds of the Tigris-Euphrates Valley. It is found in Iraq and south-western Iran.
The scaly chatterer is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae. It is also known as the bare-eyed babbler. It is found in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Tanzania. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.
The striated babbler is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae. It is found in southern Asia from Pakistan to Myanmar.
The fulvous babbler or fulvous chatterer is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae. It is 25 cm long with a wingspan of 27–30.5 cm. It is warm brown above with very faint streaking on the crown and back. The throat is whitish and the rest of the underparts are pale brown.
The slender-billed babbler is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae. It is found in Bangladesh, Nepal, Northeast India and possibly Myanmar. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland. It is threatened by habitat loss.
The slender-billed scimitar babbler is a passerine bird in the Old World babbler family. It is found from the Himalayas to north-western Vietnam. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.
Sylvioidea is a superfamily of passerine birds, one of at least three major clades within the Passerida along with the Muscicapoidea and Passeroidea. It contains about 1300 species including the Old World warblers, Old World babblers, swallows, larks and bulbuls. Members of the clade are found worldwide, but fewer species are present in the Americas.
The Visayan pygmy babbler is a bird species endemic to the Philippines. It belongs to the genus Dasycrotapha. It was placed in the family Timaliidae, but found recently to be better placed in the family Zosteropidae.
The Afghan babbler is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae. It is found from southeastern Iraq to south western Pakistan. It was formerly considered a subspecies of the common babbler.
The Mindanao miniature babbler is a bird species in the family Cisticolidae. It was formerly included in M. leytensis as a subspecies, is now usually held to be a distinct species, M. sordidus.
The jungle babblers, Pellorneidae, are mostly Old World passerine birds belonging to the superfamily Sylvioidea. They are quite diverse in size and coloration, and usually characterised by soft, fluffy plumage and a tail on average the length of their body, or longer. These birds are found in tropical zones, with the greatest biodiversity in Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent.
