Sylviida

Systematics

The superfamily Sylvioidea was first proposed in 1990 in the Sibley–Ahlquist taxonomy of birds based on DNA–DNA hybridization experiments. More recent studies based on comparison of DNA sequences have failed to support the inclusion of some families such as Certhiidae (treecreepers), Sittidae (nuthatches), Paridae (tits and chickadees) and Regulidae (goldcrests and kinglets) but instead support the addition of Alaudidae (larks).

Some of the families within the Sylvioidea have been greatly redefined. In particular, the Old World warbler family Sylviidae and Old World babbler family Timaliidae were used as wastebin taxa and included many species which have turned out not to be closely related. Several new families have been created and some species have been moved from one family to another.

List of families

This list of 25 families is based on the molecular phylogenetic study published by Silke Fregin and colleagues in 2012. and the revisions of the babbler group by Cai et al (2019) The family sequence and number of species is from the online list of world birds maintained by Frank Gill and David Donsker on behalf of the International Ornithological Committee (IOC).

• Nicatoridae: nicators (3 species)
• Panuridae: bearded reedling (1 species)
• Alaudidae: larks (98 species)
• Pycnonotidae: bulbuls (160 species)
• Hirundinidae: swallows, martins (88 species)
• Pnoepygidae: cupwings (5 species)
• Macrosphenidae: crombecs, African warblers (18 species)
• Cettiidae: Cettia bush warblers and allies (31 species)
• Scotocercidae: streaked scrub warbler (1 species)
• Erythrocercidae: yellow flycatchers (3 species)
• Hyliidae: hylias (2 species)
• Aegithalidae: bushtits (13 species)
• Phylloscopidae: leaf warblers and allies (80 species)
• Acrocephalidae: reed warblers and allies (42 species)
• Locustellidae: grassbirds and allies (67 species)
• Donacobiidae: black-capped donacobius (1 species)
• Bernieridae: Madagascan warblers (11 species)
• Cisticolidae: cisticolas and allies (163 species)
• Babbler group:
  • Sylviidae: sylviid warblers (34 species)
  • Paradoxornithidae: parrotbills (37 species)
  • Zosteropidae: white-eyes (146 species)
  • Timaliidae: babblers, scimitar babblers (57 species)
  • Pellorneidae: fulvettas, ground babblers (65 species)
  • Alcippeidae: Alcippe fulvettas (10 species)
  • Leiothrichidae: laughingthrushes and allies (133 species)

References

References

1. (1990). "Phylogeny and Classification of Birds. A Study in Molecular Evolution". Yale University Press.
2. (2006). "Phylogeny and classification of the avian superfamily Sylvioidea". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.
3. Boyd, John H. (2010): [http://jboyd.net/Taxo/List21.html Sylvioidea], ''[http://jboyd.net/Taxo/index.html Aves — A Taxonomy in Flux]''. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
4. (2012). "New insights into family relationships within the avian superfamily Sylvioidea (Passeriformes) based on seven molecular markers". BMC Evolutionary Biology.
5. (2013). "A review of the recent advances in the systematics of the avian superfamily Sylvioidea". Chinese Birds.
6. (2019). "Near-complete phylogeny and taxonomic revision of the world's babblers (Aves: Passeriformes)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.
7. "Family index 10.2".
8. (2019). "Bushtits, leaf warblers, reed warblers".