Passerida

Passerida
The golden-crowned sparrow (Zonotrichia atricapilla) belongs to the bunting family, not the true sparrows.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Suborder:	Passeri
Infraorder:	Passerida
Superfamilies
Sylvioidea Muscicapoidea Passeroidea and see text

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 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 is endemic to the Americas.

• Cinclidae: dippers
• Muscicapidae: Old World flycatchers and chats. Monophyly needs confirmation.
• Turdidae: thrushes and allies. Monophyly needs confirmation.
• Buphagidae: oxpeckers. Formerly usually included in Sturnidae.
• Sturnidae: starlings and possibly Philippine creepers. Placement of latter in Muscicapoidea seems good, but inclusion in Sturnidae requires confirmation; possibly distinct family Rhabdornithidae.
• 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.
• Estrildidae: estrildid finches (waxbills, munias, etc.)
• Ploceidae: weavers. Certain members of Ploceidae, such as the long-tailed widowbird are well known for their elaborate sexual ornaments.
• Viduidae: indigobirds and whydahs
• Nine-primaried oscines
  • Peucedramidae: olive warbler
  • Fringillidae: true finches. Includes the Hawaiian honeycreepers
  • Icteridae: grackles, New World blackbirds, and New World orioles
  • Parulidae: New World warblers
  • Thraupidae: tanagers and allies
  • Cardinalidae: cardinals
  • Emberizidae: buntings and American sparrows
  • Calcariidae: snow buntings and longspurs
• 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.
  • Ptiliogonatidae: 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.
  • 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 Corvoidea 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. 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.