Acanthizidae
Encyclopedia
The Acanthizidae, also known as the Australasian warblers, are a family
of passerine
birds which include gerygone
s, thornbills, and scrubwrens. The Acanthizidae consists of small to medium passerine birds, with a total length varying between 8 and 19 cm. They have short rounded wings, slender bills, long legs, and a short tail. Most species have olive, grey, or brown plumage, although some have patches of a brighter yellow. The smallest species of acanthizid, and indeed the smallest Australian passerine, is the Weebill
, the largest is the Pilotbird
, New Caledonia
and the Solomon Islands
, and three species occur in the New Zealand
region, including endemic species in the Chatham Islands
and Norfolk Island
. In Asia two species are restricted to Indonesia and another is found in the Philippines
and on mainland Asia. Most species are not migratory, with the exception of the gerygones. The family occupies a range of habitats from rainforests to arid deserts.
consume large numbers of seeds, and other species will take fruits. The secretions of sap-sucking insects are favoured by some species, as are the insects themselves. Some species are less terrestrial, such as the Weebill
, which forages in the treetops, or the rock-dwelling Rockwarbler
. Unusually for birds of their size, they lay only one or two eggs in a clutch, possibly because they are relatively long-lived, with many species living to over ten years of age in the wild.
(Gerygone insularis) - became extinct by rat predation in the early 1930s. The Norfolk Island Gerygone
(Gerygone modesta) is vulnerable, and the Chestnut-breasted Whiteface
(Aphelocephala pectoralis) is regarded as near threatened.
(1990) they were previously regarded as subfamily Acanthizinae within the Pardalotidae family. However, current revisions (Christidis
& Boles, 1994; Schodde
& Mason
1999) don't support this arrangement. The Dasyornithidae (which include the bristlebirds) are variously seen either as subfamily Dasyornithinae within the Acanthizidae or Pardalotidae family or as own family (Schodde & Mason 1999).
FAMILY: ACANTHIZIDAE
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
of passerine
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
birds which include gerygone
Gerygone
Gerygone, the gerygones or peep-warblers, is a genus of bird in the Acanthizidae family. The genus ranges from South East Asia through New Guinea and Australia to New Zealand and the Chatham Islands...
s, thornbills, and scrubwrens. The Acanthizidae consists of small to medium passerine birds, with a total length varying between 8 and 19 cm. They have short rounded wings, slender bills, long legs, and a short tail. Most species have olive, grey, or brown plumage, although some have patches of a brighter yellow. The smallest species of acanthizid, and indeed the smallest Australian passerine, is the Weebill
Weebill
The Weebill is Australia's smallest bird at approximately 9 cm long. It is an olive-yellow songbird with a grey bill, brown wings, pale yellow eyes and grey feet. Its tail feathers are brown with a black bar and white spot on the tip of all inner webs but the central pairs. The sexes are...
, the largest is the Pilotbird
Pilotbird
The Pilotbird is a species of bird in the Acanthizidae family. It is monotypic within the genus Pycnoptilus. The exact taxonomic placement of this species is disputed, as it bears some resemblance to the bristlebirds. The species is endemic to south east New South Wales and east Victoria in...
Distribution
Acanthizids are native to Australia, Indonesia, New Zealand, and the south-west Pacific. Most species are found in Australia and New Guinea, with Australia having 35 endemic species and New Guinea 15. A single species is found in VanuatuVanuatu
Vanuatu , officially the Republic of Vanuatu , is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and southeast of the Solomon Islands, near New Guinea.Vanuatu was...
, New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
and the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
, and three species occur in the New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
region, including endemic species in the Chatham Islands
Chatham Islands
The Chatham Islands are an archipelago and New Zealand territory in the Pacific Ocean consisting of about ten islands within a radius, the largest of which are Chatham Island and Pitt Island. Their name in the indigenous language, Moriori, means Misty Sun...
and Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island is a small island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. The island is part of the Commonwealth of Australia, but it enjoys a large degree of self-governance...
. In Asia two species are restricted to Indonesia and another is found in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
and on mainland Asia. Most species are not migratory, with the exception of the gerygones. The family occupies a range of habitats from rainforests to arid deserts.
Behaviour
Most species are terrestrial, feeding primarily on insects, although also eating some seeds. In particular the whitefacesAphelocephala
Aphelocephala is a genus of bird in the thornbill family Acanthizidae. The three species are collectively known as whitefaces. They are endemic to Australia, generally occurring in the arid centre of the continent...
consume large numbers of seeds, and other species will take fruits. The secretions of sap-sucking insects are favoured by some species, as are the insects themselves. Some species are less terrestrial, such as the Weebill
Weebill
The Weebill is Australia's smallest bird at approximately 9 cm long. It is an olive-yellow songbird with a grey bill, brown wings, pale yellow eyes and grey feet. Its tail feathers are brown with a black bar and white spot on the tip of all inner webs but the central pairs. The sexes are...
, which forages in the treetops, or the rock-dwelling Rockwarbler
Rockwarbler
The Rockwarbler or Origma , is a bird in the Acanthizidae family. The species is the only member of the genus Origma. It is the only bird species endemic to the state of New South Wales in Australia....
. Unusually for birds of their size, they lay only one or two eggs in a clutch, possibly because they are relatively long-lived, with many species living to over ten years of age in the wild.
Conservation status
Most taxa are considered as least concern. One species - the Lord Howe GerygoneLord Howe Gerygone
The Lord Howe Gerygone , also known as the Lord Howe Island Flyeater or, locally, as the "Rain-bird" or "Pop-goes-the-weasel", was a small bird in the Acanthizidae family which was endemic to Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea, part of New South Wales, Australia...
(Gerygone insularis) - became extinct by rat predation in the early 1930s. The Norfolk Island Gerygone
Norfolk Island Gerygone
The Norfolk Gerygone is a species of bird in the Acanthizidae family.It is endemic to Norfolk Island.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, and pastureland.It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:* BirdLife...
(Gerygone modesta) is vulnerable, and the Chestnut-breasted Whiteface
Chestnut-breasted Whiteface
The Chestnut-breasted Whiteface is a species of bird in the Pardalotidae family.It is endemic to Australia and found primarily in northern South Australia.-Habitat:...
(Aphelocephala pectoralis) is regarded as near threatened.
Taxonomy
Following the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomySibley-Ahlquist taxonomy
The Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy is a bird taxonomy proposed by Charles Sibley and Jon Edward Ahlquist. It is based on DNA-DNA hybridization studies conducted in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s....
(1990) they were previously regarded as subfamily Acanthizinae within the Pardalotidae family. However, current revisions (Christidis
Leslie Christidis
Leslie Christidis , also simply known as Les Christidis, is an Australian ornithologist. His main research field is the evolution and systematics of birds. He has been director of Southern Cross University National Marine Science Centre since 2009...
& Boles, 1994; Schodde
Richard Schodde
Richard Schodde, OAM is an Australian botanist and ornithologist.Schodde studied at the University of Adelaide where he received a BSc in 1960 and a PhD in 1970. During the 1960s he was a botanist with the CSIRO Division of Land Research and Regional Survey in Papua New Guinea...
& Mason
Ian J. Mason
Ian J. Mason is an Australian ornithologist and taxonomist who is Senior Collection Manager for the Australian National Wildlife Collection. He is an authority on oology.-Publications:...
1999) don't support this arrangement. The Dasyornithidae (which include the bristlebirds) are variously seen either as subfamily Dasyornithinae within the Acanthizidae or Pardalotidae family or as own family (Schodde & Mason 1999).
Genera
The Acanthizidae family consists of the two subfamilies Sericornithinae and Acanthizinae (Schodde & Mason 1999), 14 genera, 63 species and 196 taxa.FAMILY: ACANTHIZIDAE
- Subfamily: Sericornithinae
- Genus: Pycnoptilus - Pilotbird
- Genus: Origma - Rockwarbler
- Genus: Oreoscopus - Fernwren
- Genus: CrateroscelisCrateroscelisCrateroscelis is a songbird genus of the Australasian "warbler" family . It was formerly placed in the Pardalotidae, which are now considered monotypic to genus...
- Mouse-warblers (3 species) - Genus: SericornisSericornisSericornis is a genus of small, mainly insectivorous, birds, the scrubwrens. They are placed in the family Acanthizidae which was included in the Pardalotidae in the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy...
- Scrubwrens (13 species) - Genus: Acanthornis - Scrubtit
- Genus: HylacolaHylacolaHylacola is a genus of bird in the Acanthizidae family.It contains the following species:* Shy Hylacola * Chestnut-rumped Hylacola -References:...
- Heathwrens (2 species) - Genus: CalamanthusCalamanthusCalamanthus is a genus of bird in the Acanthizidae family.It contains the following species:* Rufous Fieldwren * Striated Fieldwren...
- Fieldwrens (2 species) - Genus: Pyrrholaemus - Redthroat
- Genus: Chthonicola - Speckled Warbler
- Subfamily: Acanthizinae
- Genus: Smicrornis - Weebill
- Genus: GerygoneGerygoneGerygone, the gerygones or peep-warblers, is a genus of bird in the Acanthizidae family. The genus ranges from South East Asia through New Guinea and Australia to New Zealand and the Chatham Islands...
- Gerygones (19 species, one now extinct) - Genus: AcanthizaAcanthizaAcanthiza is a genus of passeriform birds, mostly found in Australia but with one species restricted to New Guinea. These birds are commonly known as thornbills. They are not closely related to species in the hummingbird genus Chalcostigma which are also called thornbills.They are found...
- Thornbills (13 species) - Genus: AphelocephalaAphelocephalaAphelocephala is a genus of bird in the thornbill family Acanthizidae. The three species are collectively known as whitefaces. They are endemic to Australia, generally occurring in the arid centre of the continent...
- Whitefaces (3 species)