Acanthizidae

Stutz beak

The South Seas warblers ( Acanthizidae ) are a family of passerine birds, which include the Gerygonen, the thorn beaks and the genus Sericornis.

Description

The South Seas warblers are small to medium-sized songbirds that reach a body length of 8-19 centimeters. They have small rounded wings, long legs and a short tail. In most species the plumage coloration varies from olive, gray or brown; In some, a bright yellow color can be observed. The South Seas warblers are often bottom dwellers and feed on insects or occasionally of seeds. Exceptions are the Stutz Schnabel ( Smicrornis brevirostris ), who is in the treetops in search of food and the stone Skitterer ( Origma solitaria ), which is a rock dweller. Unusually for birds of this size, they only lay one or two eggs, which is probably related to their relatively long life span of over ten years in the wilderness.

Dissemination

The South Seas warblers occur in the Australasian and Pacific. Their range extends from Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand to the south-west Pacific. Most species are non-migratory birds, with the exception of Gerygonen.

System

According to the Sibley - Ahlquist taxonomy (1990), the South Pacific warblers were originally treated as a subfamily within the family of Acanthizinae Panther birds. Due to recent revisions ( Christides & Boles 1994; Schodde & Mason 1999), this system now barely supported. In the current preparation of the Handbook of the Birds of the World ( 2007), the revisions were adopted and the South Pacific warblers henceforth considered as an independent family Acanthizidae. The paint birds ( Dasyornithidae ), which were either treated as a subfamily within the family Dasyornithinae the South Seas warblers or the Panther birds, now also considered as an independent family ( Schodde & Mason 1999).

Genera

The South Seas warblers consist of two subfamilies Sericornithinae and Acanthizinae ( Schodde & Mason 1999), 14 genera, 63 species and 196 taxa.

Family: Acanthizidae

  • Subfamily: Sericornithinae Genus: Pycnoptilus
  • Genus: Origma
  • Genus: Oreoscopus
  • Genus: Crateroscelis
  • Genus: Sericornis
  • Genus: Acanthornis
  • Genus: Hylacola
  • Genus: Calamanthus
  • Genus: Pyrrholaemus
  • Genus: Chthonicola
  • Genus: Smicrornis
  • Genus: Gerygone
  • Genus: Acanthiza
  • Genus: Aphelocephala Fahl back Whiteface ( Aphelocephala leucopsis )
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