A songbird is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of the perching birds (Passeriformes). Another name that is sometimes seen as the scientific or vernacular name is Oscines, from Latin oscen, "songbird". The Passeriformes contains 5,000 or so species found all over the world, in which the vocal organ typically is developed in such a way as to produce a diverse and elaborate bird song.
The painted berrypeckers, Paramythiidae, are a very small bird family restricted to the mountain forests of New Guinea. The family comprises three species in two genera: the tit berrypecker in Oreocharis, and the eastern crested berrypecker and western crested berrypecker in Paramythia. These are colourful medium-sized birds which feed on fruit and some insects. These species were formerly included in the Dicaeidae, but DNA–DNA hybridization studies showed these species were related to each other but distinct from the flowerpeckers. Some sources group painted berrypeckers as two genera belonging to the berrypecker family Melanocharitidae.
The Melanocharitidae, the berrypeckers and longbills, is a small bird family restricted to the forests of New Guinea. The family contains eleven species in four genera. They are small songbirds with generally dull plumage but a range of body shapes.
Passerida is, under the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy, one of two parvorders contained within the suborder Passeri. While more recent research suggests that its sister parvorder, Corvida, is not a monophyletic grouping, the Passerida as a distinct clade are widely accepted.
The obscure berrypecker is a small passerine bird from the berrypecker family Melanocharitidae. It was described by the German ornithologist Friedrich Finsch based on a specimen collected on the island of New Guinea ; collected in 1867 in the Arfak Mountains. Another specimen was collected in 1933 in the mountains northwest of Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea, these two specimens are the only confirmed records of the species. Unconfirmed sight records have been made in regions of New Guinea; these suggest that the species is not rare, and is a resident of disturbed forest, able to cope with human modification of its habitat. All these sightings were all made in the mountains, which is consistent with the range of the rest of the berrypeckers, only the black berrypecker has a lowland range.
Berrypecker may refer to:
The thick-billed berrypecker is a species of bird in the berrypecker and longbill family Melanocharitidae. It is found in New Guinea. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forest. The spotted berrypecker was formerly considered conspecific, but it was split as a distinct species by the IOC in 2021.
Melanocharis is a genus of birds in the family Melanocharitidae that are endemic to New Guinea.
The mid-mountain berrypecker or lemon-breasted berrypecker is a species of bird in the family Melanocharitidae. It is found in the New Guinea Highlands. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.
The black berrypecker is a species of bird in the family Melanocharitidae. It is found in New Guinea. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest.
The streaked berrypecker is a species of bird in the family Melanocharitidae. It is found in the New Guinea Highlands. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.
The fan-tailed berrypecker is a species of bird in the family Melanocharitidae. It is found in New Guinea. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.
The pygmy longbill or pygmy honeyeater is a species of bird in the family Melanocharitidae. It is one of two species in the genus Oedistoma, which also includes the spectacled longbill. It is found in New Guinea and adjacent islands. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest.
Oedistoma is a genus of longbill in the bird family Melanocharitidae. The genus, like the family, is endemic to New Guinea. The genus contains two species, both of which are sometimes placed in the genus Toxorhamphus.
The eastern crested berrypecker is a species of bird in the family Paramythiidae. It is commonly found in the high montane forests and shrublands of New Guinea. There are two subspecies, Paramythia montium montium and Paramythia montium brevicauda. The former inhabits the eastern portion of the New Guinea Highlands while the latter can be found in the Huon Peninsula. The western crested berrypecker was formerly considered conspecific but was split from it in 2021.
Toxorhamphus is a genus of birds in the family Melanocharitidae. They are commonly known as longbills and were once thought to be in the honeyeater family. The genus is endemic to the islands of New Guinea.
The spotted berrypecker is a species of bird in the family Melanocharitidae. It is found in New Guinea. It was formerly considered a subspecies of the thick-billed berrypecker, but was split as a distinct species by the IOC in 2021. The name "spotted berrypecker" references the spotted plumage that the female bird has.
The satin berrypecker(Melanocharis citreola), is a species of passerine bird belonging to the family Melanocharitidae. It is endemic to the montane cloud forests of Western New Guinea and was first identified in the Kumawa Mountains. It is only the second species to be described in New Guinea in the last 80 years and the first endemic species from the region known as the Bird's Neck. The satin berrypecker is the sixth species to be described in the genus Melanocharis.
