Passerida

Passerida
File:Passerida diversity.png
Diversity of Passerida
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Clade:	Inopinaves
Order:	Passeriformes
Suborder:	Passeri
Clade:	Euoscines
Infraorder:	Passerida Nitzsch, 1820
Superfamilies
Melanocharitoidea Cnemophiloidea Callaeoidea Picathartoidea Paroidea Sylvioidea Reguloidea Bombycilloidea Certhioidea Muscicapoidea Passeroidea

Passerida is under the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy, one of two "parvorders" contained within the suborder Passeri (standard taxonomic practice would place them at the rank of infraorder). While more recent research suggests that its sister parvorder, Corvida, is not a monophyletic grouping, the Passerida as a distinct clade are widely accepted.

Systematics and phylogeny

The Passerida quite certainly consist of the 3 major subclades outlined by Sibley & Ahlquist (1990). However, their content has been much revised. In addition, it has turned out that not all passeridan lineages neatly fit into this arrangement. The kinglets are so distinct that they might actually form a separate infraorder, as they are only slightly less basal than the Corvoidea or the Picathartidae. See Jønsson & Fjeldså (2006) for details on phylogeny.

Superfamily Melanocharitoidea

This superfamily only contains the berrypecker family.

• Melanocharitidae: berrypeckers and longbills

Superfamily Cnemophiloidea

Like Melanocharitoidea, this superfamily is monotypic. They were once classed as birds-of-paradise.

• Cnemophilidae: satinbirds

Superfamily Callaeoidea

• Notiomystidae: Stitchbird
• Callaeidae: New Zealand wattlebirds
• Petroicidae: Australasian robins

Superfamily Picathartoidea

• Picathartidae: rockfowl
• Chaetopidae: rockjumpers
• Eupetidae: Rail-babbler

Superfamily Paroidea

• Stenostiridae: fairy flycatchers
• Hyliotidae: hyliotas
• Remizidae: penduline-tits
• Paridae: parids

Superfamily Sylvioidea

Mostly insectivores, distribution centered on the Indo-Pacific region. Few occur in the Americas. Nicator-reedling-lark group

• Nicatoridae: nicators
• Panuridae: Bearded Reedling
• Alaudidae: larks

Macrosphenidae group

• Macrosphenidae: African warblers

Acrocephalus group

• Pnoepygidae: wren-babblers. Formerly in Timaliidae.
• Acrocephalidae: marsh- and tree-warblers. Recently split from Sylviidae.
• Donacobiidae: donacobiuses. Formerly in Troglodytidae.
• Bernieridae: Malagasy warblers. Members were formerly in Pycnonotidae, Timaliidae and Sylviidae.
• Locustellidae: grass-warblers and allies. Recently split from Sylviidae.
• Cisticolidae: cisticolas and allies. Recently split from Sylviidae.

Swallow-bulbul group

• Hirundinidae: swallows and martins
• Pycnonotidae: bulbuls

Hylia-aegithelid-cettiid/leaf-warbler group

• Hyliidae: hylias
• Aegithalidae: long-tailed tits
• Cettiidae: ground-warblers and allies. Recently split from Sylviidae.
• Phylloscopidae: leaf-warblers and allies. Recently split from Sylviidae.

Babbler clade

• Sylviidae: sylviid warblers
• Paradoxornithidae: parrotbills
• Zosteropidae: white-eyes
• Timaliidae: babblers
• Pellorneidae: ground-babblers. Formerly in Timaliidae.
• Leiothrichidae: laughingthrushes. Formerly in Timaliidae.

Superfamily Reguloidea

This superfamily only contains the kinglets.

• Regulidae: kinglets

Superfamily Bombycilloidea

• Elachuridae: Spotted Elachura
• Mohoidae: Hawaiian honeyeaters
• Ptilogonatidae: silky-flycatchers
• Dulidae: Palmchat
• Hypocoliidae: Grey Hypocolius and Hylocitrea
• Bombycillidae: waxwings

Superfamily Certhioidea

• Tichodromadidae: Wallcreeper
• Sittidae: nuthatches and Spotted-creeper
• Certhiidae: treecreepers
• Polioptilidae: gnatcatchers
• Troglodytidae: wrens

Superfamily Muscicapoidea

Mostly insectivores, near-global distribution centered on Old World tropics. One family is endemic to the Americas.

Oxpecker-mockingbird-starling clade

• Buphagidae: oxpeckers. Formerly in Sturnidae.
• Mimidae: mockingbirds and thrashers
• Sturnidae: starlings and mynas

Dipper-thrush-Old World flycatcher clade

• Cinclidae: dippers
• Turdidae: thrushes and allies
• Muscicapidae: Old World flycatchers and chats

Superfamily Passeroidea

Mostly herbivores, near-global distribution centered on Palearctic and Americas. Includes the Nine-primaried oscines (probably a subclade).

Basal Passeroidea

• Promeropidae: sugarbirds
• Arcanatoridae: Dapple-throat and allies
• Dicaeidae: flowerpeckers
• Nectariniidae: sunbirds
• Irenidae: fairy-bluebirds
• Chloropseidae: leafbirds

Core Passeroidea

• Urocynchramidae: Przewalski's Finch. Recently split from Fringillidae.
• Peucedramidae: Olive Warbler
• Prunellidae: accentors

Estrildid clade

• Ploceidae: weavers
• Viduidae: indigobirds and whydahs
• Estrildidae: estrildid finches (waxbills, munias, etc.)

Passerid clade

• Passeridae: true sparrows

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Nine-primaried oscines

• Motacillidae: wagtails and pipits

Sibley and Monroe's (1990) Fringillidae

• Fringillidae: true finches

Epifamily Icteroidae

• Calcariidae: snow buntings and longspurs. Formerly in Emberizidae.
• Rhodinocichlidae: Rosy Thrush-Tanager. Formerly in Thraupidae.
• Emberizidae: buntings
• Passerellidae: American sparrows
• Phaenicophilidae: palm-tangers and allies
• Incertae sedis: Teretistris and Zeledonia
• Icteridae: icterids
• Parulidae: New World warblers
• Mitrospingidae: mitrospingid tanagers
• Cardinalidae: cardinals
• Thraupidae: tanagers and allies

See also

• list of birds

References

• Jønsson, Knud A. & Fjeldså, Jon (2006): A phylogenetic supertree of oscine passerine birds (Aves: Passeri). Zool. Scripta 35(2): 149–186. doi:10.1111/j.1463-6409.2006.00221.x
• Harshman, John (2008). Passerida. Version 23 June 2008 (under construction). in The Tree of Life Web Project. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
• Sibley, Charles Gald & Ahlquist, Jon Edward (1990): Phylogeny and classification of birds. Yale University Press, New Haven, Conn.

This article is part of Project Bird Taxonomy, a All Birds project that aims to write comprehensive articles on every order, family and other taxonomic rank related to birds.