'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 existence of Passerida as a distinct
clade is well 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
Sylvioidea===
Mostly insectivores, distribution centered on the
Indo-Pacific region. Few occur in the Americas.
★
Alaudidae: larks
★
Hirundinidae: swallows and martins
★
Phylloscopidae: leaf-warblers and allies. Recently split from Sylviidae.
★
Aegithalidae: long-tailed tits
★
Cettiidae: ground-warblers and allies. Recently split from Sylviidae.
★
Megaluridae: grass-warblers and allies. Recently split from Sylviidae.
★ "Bernieridae":
Malagasy warblers. A newly assembled family.
★
Acrocephalidae: marsh- and tree-warblers. Recently split from Sylviidae.
★
Pycnonotidae: bulbuls
★
Cisticolidae: cisticolas and allies
★
Sylviidae: "true/sylviid warblers" and parrotbills. Might be merged into Timaliidae. Monophyly needs confirmation.
★
Zosteropidae: white-eyes. Probably belongs into Timaliidae.
★
Timaliidae: babblers. Monophyly needs confirmation.
★ Sylvioidea ''incertae sedis''
★
★ "
African warblers": A proposed clade, but monophyly needs confirmation. Formerly in Sylviidae.
★
★ ''
Donacobius'': Black-capped Donacobius.
Monotypic family? Tentatively placed here; possibly closest to Megaluridae. Formerly in Troglodytidae.
★
★ ''
Nicator'': Relationships unresolved, monotypic family? Tentatively placed here; formerly in Pycnonotidae.
★
★ ''
Panurus'': Bearded Reedling (Bearded "Tit"). Relationships enigmatic, monotypic family Panuridae? Tentatively placed here; formerly in "
Paradoxornithidae".
===Superfamily
Muscicapoidea===
Mostly insectivores, near-global distribution centered on Old World
tropics. One family
endemic to Americas.
★
Cinclidae: dippers
★
Muscicapidae: Old World flycatchers and chats. Monophyly needs confirmation.
★
Turdidae: thrushes and allies. Monophyly needs confirmation.
★
Sturnidae: starlings
★
Mimidae: mockingbirds and thrashers
===Superfamily
Passeroidea===
Mostly herbivores, near-global distribution centered on
Palearctic and Americas. Includes the
Nine-primaried oscines (probably a subclade).
★
Passeridae: true sparrows
★
Prunellidae: accentors
★
Motacillidae: wagtails and pipits
★
Urocynchramidae: Przewalski's Finch. Recently split from Fringillidae; tentatively placed here.
★
Peucedramidae: Olive Warbler
★
Estrildidae: estrildid finches (waxbills, munias, etc)
★
Ploceidae: weavers
★
Viduidae: indigobirds and whydahs
★
Fringillidae: true finches. Possibly polyphyletic.
★
Drepanididae: Hawaiian honeycreepers. Might be merged into Fringillidae.
★
Icteridae: grackles, New World blackbirds, and New World orioles
★
Parulidae: New World warblers
★
Thraupidae: tanagers and allies
★
Cardinalidae: cardinals
★
Emberizidae: buntings and American sparrows
★ Passeroidea ''incertae sedis''
★
★
Coerebidae: Bananaquit. Family invalid or not
monotypic; reallocation pending.
Passerida ''incertae sedis''
Rather basal Passerida, most of which seem to constitute several small but distinct superfamilies. Most occur in Asia, Africa and North America.
★ Possible superfamily "Dicaeoidea" - sunbirds and flowerpeckers
★
★
Nectariniidae: sunbirds
★
★
Dicaeidae: flowerpeckers
★ Possible superfamily Bombycilloidea - waxwings and allies
★
★
Bombycillidae: waxwings
★
★
Dulidae: Palmchat. Tentatively placed here.
★
★
Ptilogonatidae: silky flycatchers. Tentatively placed here.
★
★
Hypocoliidae: Hypocolius. Tentatively placed here.
★ Possible superfamily Paroidea - titmice and allies
★
★
Paridae: tits, chickadees and titmice
★
★
Remizidae: penduline tits. Sometimes included in Paridae.
★
★
Stenostiridae: stenostirids ("flycatcher-tits"). A newly assembled family; sometimes included in Paridae.
★ Possible superfamily Sittoidea or Certhioidea - wrens and allies.
★
★
Sittidae: nuthatches
★
★
Tichodromadidae: Wallcreeper. Tentatively placed here.
★
★
Certhiidae: treecreepers
★
★
Salpornithidae: Spotted Creeper. Tentatively placed here; might belong into Certhidae.
★
★
Rhabdornithidae: Philippine creepers. Tentatively placed here; might belong into Sylvioidea instead.
★
★
Troglodytidae: wrens
★
★
Polioptilidae: gnatcatchers
★ Possible monotypic superfamily N.N.
★
★
Promeropidae: sugarbirds
★ Possible monotypic superfamily N.N.
★
★ Family N.N.:
Hyliotas. Recently split from Sylviidae.
★ Possible superfamily Reguloidea - kinglets. Tentatively placed here.
★
★
Regulidae: kinglets
Probably not Passerida
These have been assigned to the Passerida in recent times, often based on DNA-DNA hybridization data. However, they are probably more basal among the songbirds and would belong either to the
Corvida (if this is revised to a monophyletic group) or the allied basal lineages. Most of them are either African or Wallacean groups.
★
Chloropseidae: leafbirds
★
Aegithinidae: ioras
★
Picathartidae: rockfowl
★
Melanocharitidae: berrypeckers and longbills
★
Paramythiidae: tit berrypecker and crested berrypeckers
★
Platysteiridae: wattle-eyes or puffback flycatchers
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.
(HTML abstract)
★
'Sibley', Charles Gald &
'Ahlquist', Jon Edward (1990): ''Phylogeny and classification of birds''. Yale University Press, New Haven, Conn.