The Oscine Passarines I: Suborder Passeri

SUPERFAMILY SYLVIOODAE - The Old World Insect-Eaters 

Family Timaliidae 

 The Babblers and Wrentits 

 - 254 species, 44 genera 

 - Old world tropics and one species on the California coast 

 - strong pair bonds 

 - males and females sing (unique) 

Family Sylviidae 

 The Old World Warblers and Kinglets 

 - diverse group - 361 species, 60 genera 

 - Old World insectivorous - a few new world species 

Family Hirundinidae 

 The Swallows 

 - nest construction variations that follow evolutionary trends 

 - cosmopolitan 

 - insectivorous

Family Alaudidae 

 The Larks 

 - 78 species, 16 genera 

 - Old World (1 new world species) 

 - great singers (flight song of the males) 

 - biparental care 

 - popular culture and Shakespeare's favorite bird 

Family Remizidae 

 The Penduline Tits and Verdin 

 - Old world (1 new world species) 

 - elaborate hanging nests 

 - biparental care 

 

Family Paridae 

 The Titmice and Chickadees 

 - Eurasia and North America

 - cavity nesters, biparental care 

 - food storage behavior 

SUPERFAMILY CORVIOIDEA 

Family Picathartidae 

Rockfowl or Bald Crows 

 - African 

 - 2 species 

 - cave nesters with helpers 

Family Corvidae 

 The Crows and Jays 

 - 106 species, 26 genera 

 - cosmopolitan 

 - among the smartest birds 

Family Vangidae 

 The Vangas 

 - Madagascar 

 - Carnivorous 

Family Laniidae 

 The Shrieks 

 - Cosmopolitan 

 - 73 species, 11 genera 

 - carnivorous 

 - will dry food (insects, small vertebrates, etc) on sharp thorns or barbed wire 

Family Cracticidae 

 The Butcherbirds 

 - black and white with a large beak with a hook on the end

 - babies raised by mother

 - Australian 

 - impale insects on their beak (also males during courtship) 

Family  Paradisaeidae 

The Birds of Paradise 

 - 42 species, 20 genera

 - crow-like morphology 

 - fruit eating 

 - monogamous (some), but mostly polygamous 

 - elaborate plumage and courtship rituals 

 - nest in the forks of trees 

Family Vireonidae 

 The Vireos 

 - 43 species, 4 genera

 - New World 

 - appear to be related to shrieks 

END SUPERFAMILY CORVIOIDEA (Not in superfamily) 

Family Orthonychidae 

 The Logrunners 

 - ground-dwellers, bad fliers 

 - 4 species 

 - eat insects 

 - unique hips that allow they to push debris out of their way while walking through underbrush

 

Family Maluridae 

 Fairy Wrens 

 - cooperative breeders 

 - complex social structures - socially monogamous, breeding-wise polygamous (form pair bonds, have affairs)

 - eat insects 

Family Meliphagidae 

The Honeyeaters 

 - 172 species, 39 genera

 - polygamous with sexual dimorphism  

 - eat nectar and insects - fill Australian hummingbird niche 

Family Ptilonorhyncidae 

 The Bowerbirds 

 - monogamous

  - 18 species, 8 genera

 - polygamous (catbirds are usually monogamous) 

 - maternal parental care 

 - awesome bowers - very elaborate, especially in males with less vibrant coloring. 

 Family Climacteridae 

 The Treecreepers 

 - 6 species, 1 genus 

 - different syringal - is it a true oscine? doubtful. 

 - woodpecker like behavior - fill Australian niche 

 Family Menuridae - The Lyrebirds 

  - tails are shaped like lyres 

  - omnivorous ground-dwellers 

  - polygamous - 3 syrinx muscles, probably a reversal from the usual oscine 5 

  - most basal oscines 

  - mimicks sounds of other birds and things

  - Australia