Old World warblers are a large group of birds formerly grouped together in the bird family Sylviidae. They are not closely related to the New World warblers. 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 number of warblers, together with some babblers formerly placed in the family Timaliidae and the parrotbills, are retained in a much smaller family Sylviidae.
The parrotbills are a family, Paradoxornithidae, of passerine birds that are primarily native to East, Southeast and South Asia, with a single species in western North America, though feral populations exist elsewhere. They are generally small birds that inhabit reedbeds, forests and similar habitats. The traditional parrotbills feed mainly on seeds, e.g. of grasses, to which their robust bill, as the name implies, is well-adapted. Members of the family are usually non-migratory.
The vireos make up a family, Vireonidae, of small to medium-sized passerine birds found in the New World and Southeast Asia. "Vireo" is a Latin word referring to a green migratory bird, perhaps the female golden oriole, possibly the European greenfinch.
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 wrentit is a small bird that lives in chaparral, oak woodlands, and bushland on the western coast of North America. It is the only species in the genus Chamaea.
The Taiwan yuhina, also known as Formosan yuhina, is a small songbird endemic to the island of Taiwan.
The ashy-throated parrotbill is a parrotbill. In old sources, it may be called Alphonse's crow-tit; though superficially resembling a tit it is not a member of the Paridae. The native range of this species extends from south-west China to northern Vietnam, and it might have become naturalised in one area in Italy.
The white-eared sibia is a bird in the laughingthrush family Leiothrichidae. The species is sometimes placed in the monotypic genus Malacias. It was first described by Robert Swinhoe in 1864. There are no subspecies.
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 black-eared shrike-babbler is a bird species in the vireo family, Vireonidae. It was traditionally considered as an aberrant Old World babbler and formerly placed in the family Timaliidae. It was long noted that their habits resembled those of vireos, but this was previously ascribed to the result of convergent evolution. It is found in Southeast Asia from the Himalayas to western Malaysia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.
The black-headed shrike-babbler is a bird species traditionally placed with the Old World babblers in the family Timaliidae. However, it might be one of the few Eurasian vireos (Vireonidae).
The green shrike-babbler is a bird species that was earlier placed in the family Timaliidae. The species is now considered to be an Asian offshoot of the American vireos and belongs in the family Vireonidae.
Yuhina is a genus of birds in the white-eye family Zosteropidae.
The white-collared yuhina is a bird species in the white-eye family Zosteropidae.
The chestnut-crested yuhina is a species of bird in the white-eye family Zosteropidae. The species has been included in the genus Staphida, along with the Indochinese yuhina and the striated yuhina of mainland Asia, and all three have been considered a single species. The scientific name commemorates British colonial administrator and zoological collector Alfred Hart Everett.
The stripe-throated yuhina is a bird species in the white-eye family Zosteropidae.
The black-chinned yuhina is a bird species in the white-eye family Zosteropidae.
Sterrhoptilus is a songbird genus recently separated from Stachyris. It used to be placed in the family Timaliidae. With other "Old World babblers" of the genus Yuhina, it was recently determined to be better placed in the family Zosteropidae.
Zosterornis is a genus of passerine birds in the white-eye family Zosteropidae. The five species in the genus are endemic to the Philippines.
The Dalat shrike-babbler is a bird subspecies 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.
