Pachycephalidae

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Pachycephalidae
Rufous Whistler male kobble.jpg
Rufous whistler (Pachycephala rufiventris)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Superfamily: Orioloidea
Family: Pachycephalidae
Swainson, 1832
Genera and species
See text

The Pachycephalidae are a family of bird species that includes the whistlers, shrikethrushes, and three of the pitohuis, and is part of the ancient Australo-Papuan radiation of songbirds. The family includes 69 species that are separated into five genera. Its members range from small to medium in size, and occupy most of Australasia. Australia and New Guinea are the centre of their diversity and, in the case of the whistlers, the South Pacific islands as far as Tonga and Samoa and parts of Asia as far as India. The exact delimitation of boundaries of the family are uncertain, and one species, the golden whistler, has been the subject of intense taxonomic scrutiny in recent years, with multiple subspecies and species-level revisions.

Contents

Taxonomy and systematics

The family Pachycephalidae was introduced (as the subfamily Pachycephalinae) by the English ornithologist William Swainson in 1832. [1] [2]

The genera Pachycare , Hylocitrea , the crested bellbird and the crested shriketit were previously included in the family Pachycephalidae until moved to the families Acanthizidae, Hylocitreidae and Oreoicidae and Falcunculidae respectively. [3] Some authorities have also placed the genus Mohoua , classified in the monotypic family Mohouidae, within the family Pachycephalidae. [4]

The whistler family has five extant genera as follows: [3]

Pachycephalidae

Pseudorectes – pitohuis (2 species)

Colluricincla – strikethrushes (11 species)

Melanorectes – black pitohui

Coracornis – whistler and strikethrush (2 species)

Pachycephala – typical whistlers (53 species)

Genus level phylogeny of the family Pachycephalidae based a study by Serina Brady and collaborators published in 2021. [5] The species numbers are from the list maintained by Frank Gill, Pamela C. Rasmussen and David Donsker on behalf of the International Ornithologists' Union. [3]

Description

The whistlers are stout birds with strong bills, and the group was once known as the thickheads due to the large rounded heads of many species. Their plumage is rufous, brown, or grey in the majority of species. Nevertheless, a few species, particularly the golden whistler and its close relatives, have bright plumage. One of the more unusual traits of this family is found in the feathers of some of the pitohuis, which have toxins. [6] These toxins are probably a deterrent to parasites and may also serve to dissuade predators from taking the birds.

Vocalisations

Several species belonging to this family are outstanding songsters: the whistlers produce an astonishing volume for their size, and the lyrebirds aside, the grey shrikethrush is often regarded as the finest, most inventive songbird of them all.[ citation needed ]

Distribution and habitat

The whistlers are birds of forests and wooded areas. Most species inhabit rainforest, particularly in the Asian and Papuan parts of their range, but Australian species inhabit a wider range of habitats including woodlands, arid scrubland and mangrove forests. Some species are restricted to a particular ecosystem, whereas others are more catholic and will inhabit a range of habitat types.

Behaviour and ecology

Breeding

Little is known about the breeding biology of most of the family; what is known generally comes from a small number of Australian species and the three New Zealand Mohoua species. They are monogamous and generally nest as simple pairs, although breeding groups have been recorded in some species.

Food and feeding

They are insectivorous, picking insects off leaves, branches, or leaf litter. While insects make up the majority of the diet they will also feed on spiders, worms, centipedes, snails, and small crabs; larger species will also tackle small vertebrates such as frogs, geckos and baby birds. They are generally sedate foragers and do not engage in hawking to obtain prey, instead being gleaners and probers. Only a few species migrate, most remaining resident in their tropical environment. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australasian wren</span> Family of birds

The Australasian wrens are a family, Maluridae, of small, insectivorous passerine birds endemic to Australia and New Guinea. While commonly known as wrens, they are unrelated to the true wrens. The family comprises 32 species in six genera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pitohui</span> Common name for families of bird

The pitohuis are bird species endemic to New Guinea. The onomatopoeic name is thought to be derived from that used by New Guineans from nearby Dorey (Manokwari), but it is also used as the name of a genus Pitohui which was established by the French naturalist René Lesson in 1831. The unitalicized common name however refers to perching birds that belong to several genera of multiple bird families. The genera include Ornorectes, Melanorectes, and Pseudorectes apart from Pitohui.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hooded pitohui</span> Species of bird from New Guinea

The hooded pitohui is a species of bird in the genus Pitohui found in New Guinea. It was long thought to be a whistler (Pachycephalidae) but is now known to be in the Old World oriole family (Oriolidae). Within the oriole family, this species is most closely related to the variable pitohuis in the genus Pitohui, and then the figbirds.

<i>Lanius</i> Genus of birds

Lanius, the typical shrikes, are a genus of passerine birds in the shrike family Laniidae. The majority of the family's species are placed in this genus. The genus name, Lanius, is derived from the Latin word for "butcher", and some shrikes are also known as "butcher birds" because of their feeding habits. The common English name "shrike" is from Old English scríc, "shriek", referring to the shrill call.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wattled ploughbill</span> Species of bird

The wattled ploughbill is a small bird from New Guinea. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Eulacestoma and family Eulacestomatidae. It is also known as the wattled shrike-tit or ploughshare tit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shrikethrush</span> Genus of birds

A shrikethrush, also spelled shrike-thrush, is any one of eleven species of songbird that is a member of the genus Colluricincla. They have nondescript, predominantly brown or grey, plumage, but are accomplished singers, their calls described as "strong, mellow and beautiful." Shrikethrushes are generally insectivorous, though have been recorded eating molluscs and berries. They build cup-shaped nests in the forks of trees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melampitta</span> Family of birds

The melampittas are a family, Melampittidae, of New Guinean birds containing two enigmatic species. The two species are found in two genera, the greater melampitta in the genus Megalampitta and the lesser melampitta in the genus Melampitta. They are little studied and before being established as a family in 2014 their taxonomic relationships with other birds were uncertain, being considered at one time related variously to the pittas, Old World babblers and birds-of-paradise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fawn-breasted whistler</span> Species of bird

The fawn-breasted whistler is a species of bird in the family Pachycephalidae. It is found on the islands of Timor and Wetar. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical mangrove forests.

The white-throated Fiji whistler is a species of bird in the family Pachycephalidae, endemic to islands in southern Fiji. It was formerly considered to be conspecific with the yellow-throated Fiji whistler. Before the split the combined species were known as the "Fiji whistler".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rusty-breasted whistler</span> Species of bird

The rusty-breasted whistler, also known as the fulvous-tinted whistler, is a species of bird in the family Pachycephalidae. It is endemic to Indonesia, where it ranges from Java east to Alor and north to the Selayar Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-throated whistler</span> Species of bird

The yellow-throated whistler or Banda Sea whistler, is a species of bird in the family Pachycephalidae. It is endemic to central and south-eastern Wallacea, where it ranges from Timor east to the Tanimbars and north to Seram and Banggai. The oriole whistler is sometimes alternatively called the yellow-throated whistler, leading to confusion between both species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oreoicidae</span> Family of birds

Oreoicidae is a newly recognized family of small insectivorous songbirds from New Guinea and Australia, commonly known as the Australo-Papuan bellbirds. The family contains three genera, each containing a single species: Aleadryas, which contains the rufous-naped bellbird; Ornorectes, which contains the piping bellbird; and Oreoica, which contains the crested bellbird.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Caledonian whistler</span> Species of bird

The New Caledonian whistler is a species of bird in the family Pachycephalidae. It is endemic to New Caledonia.

<i>Pitohui</i> (genus) Genus of birds

Pitohui is a genus of birds endemic to New Guinea. The birds formerly lumped together as pitohuis were found by a 2008 study that examined their evolutionary history on the basis of the genetic sequences to have included birds that were quite unrelated to each other. They have since been separated into other genera.

The Vanikoro whistler is a passerine bird in the family Pachycephalidae, which is endemic to the southeast Santa Cruz Islands of the Solomon Islands group. The Nendo whistler and Utupua whistler were formerly treated as subspecies. Before the split the combined species were known by the English name "Temotu whistler".

The Selayar whistler is a species of bird in the family Pachycephalidae. It is endemic to the small island of Selayar, which lies to the south of Sulawesi in Indonesia. It was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the rusty-breasted whistler.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-throated Fiji whistler</span> Species of bird

The yellow-throated Fiji whistler is a species of passerine bird in the family Pachycephalidae, endemic to central Fiji. It was formerly considered to be conspecific with the white-throated Fiji whistler. Before the split the combined species were known as the "Fiji whistler".

The Nendo whistler is a passerine bird in the family Pachycephalidae. It is endemic to Nendö, as well as the Reef and Duff islands in the Santa Cruz Islands of the western Pacific Ocean. It was formerly treated as a subspecies of the Vanikoro whistler. Before the split the combined species were known by the English name "Temotu whistler".

The Utupua whistler is a passerine bird in the family Pachycephalidae that is endemic to the island of Utupua in the Santa Cruz Islands of the western Pacific Ocean. It was formerly treated as a subspecies of the Vanikoro whistler. Prior to the split the combined species were known by the English name "Temotu whistler".

The Babar whistler is a passerine bird in the family Pachycephalidae that is endemic to the island of Babar which lies at the eastern end of the Lesser Sunda Islands. It was formerly treated as a subspecies of the yellow-throated whistler.

References

  1. ↑ Bock, Walter J. (1994). History and Nomenclature of Avian Family-Group Names. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. Vol. 222. New York: American Museum of Natural History. pp. 153, 262. hdl:2246/830.
  2. ↑ Swainson, William; Richardson, J. (1831). Fauna Boreali-Americana, or, The Zoology of the Northern Parts of British America. Vol. Part 2. The Birds. London: J. Murray. p. 492. The title page bears the year 1831 but the volume was not published until 1832. See: Dickinson, E.C.; Overstreet, L.K.; Dowsett, R.J.; Bruce, M.D. (2011). Priority! The Dating of Scientific Names in Ornithology: a Directory to the literature and its reviewers. Northampton, UK: Aves Press. p. 150. ISBN   978-0-9568611-1-5.
  3. 1 2 3 Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (August 2024). "Whiteheads, sittellas, Ploughbill, Australo-Papuan bellbirds, Shriketit, whistlers". IOC World Bird List Version 14.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  4. ↑ Aidala, Zachary; et al. (June 2013). "Phylogenetic relationships of the genus Mohoua, endemic hosts of New Zealand's obligate brood parasitic Long-tailed Cuckoo (Eudynamys taitensis)". Journal of Ornithology. 154 (4): 1127–1133. Bibcode:2013JOrni.154.1127A. doi:10.1007/s10336-013-0978-8. S2CID   10012326.
  5. ↑ Brady, S.S.; Moyle, R.G.; Joseph, L.; Andersen, M.J. (2021). "Systematics and biogeography of the whistlers (Aves: Pachycephalidae) inferred from ultraconserved elements and ancestral area reconstruction". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 168: 107379. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2021.107379. PMID   34965464. S2CID   245506895.
  6. ↑ Dumbacher JP, Beehler BM, Spande TF, Garraffo HM, Daly JW (1992). "Homobatrachotoxin in the genus Pitohui: chemical defense in birds?". Science . 258 (5083): 799–801. Bibcode:1992Sci...258..799D. doi:10.1126/science.1439786. PMID   1439786.
  7. ↑ Garnett, Stephen (1991). Forshaw, Joseph (ed.). Encyclopaedia of Animals: Birds. London: Merehurst Press. p. 201. ISBN   1-85391-186-0.
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