Artamidae
Encyclopedia
The family Artamidae gathers together 20 species
of mostly crow-like birds native to Australasia
and nearby areas.
There are two subfamilies: Artaminae, the woodswallows, are sombre-coloured, soft-plumaged birds that have a brush-tipped tongue but seldom use it for gathering nectar. Instead, they catch insects on the wing. They are agile flyers with large, pointed wings and are among the very few passerine
birds that soar. One sedentary species aside, they are nomads, following the best conditions for flying insects, and often roosting in large flocks. The nests of woodswallows are loosely constructed from fine twigs, and both parents help rear the young.
Historically, the cracticines – (currawong
s, Australian Magpie
and butcherbird
s – were seen as a separate family Cracticidae. With their 1985 DNA study, Sibley and Ahlquist recognised the close relationship between the woodswallows and the butcherbirds in 1985, and placed them in a Cracticini clade, now the family Artamidae. The two species of peltops
were once placed with the monarch flycatchers but are now placed here.
The cracticines have large, straight bills and mostly black, white or grey plumage. All are omnivorous to some degree: the butcherbirds mostly eat meat, Australian Magpies usually forage through short grass looking for worms and other small creatures, currawongs are true omnivores, taking fruit, grain, meat, insects, eggs and nestlings. The female constructs bulky nests from sticks, and both parents help incubate the eggs and raise the young thereafter.
The cracticines, despite their fairly plain, utilitarian appearance, are highly intelligent and have extraordinarily beautiful songs of great subtlety. Particularly noteworthy are the Pied Butcherbird
, the Pied Currawong
and the Australian Magpie
.
A fossil
right scapula
(MNZ S41061) found at the Manuherikia River
in Otago
, New Zealand
and dating from the Early to Middle Miocene
(Awamoan to Lillburnian, 19-16 million years ago) represents a member of the Cracticinae.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of mostly crow-like birds native to Australasia
Australasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
and nearby areas.
There are two subfamilies: Artaminae, the woodswallows, are sombre-coloured, soft-plumaged birds that have a brush-tipped tongue but seldom use it for gathering nectar. Instead, they catch insects on the wing. They are agile flyers with large, pointed wings and are among the very few 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 that soar. One sedentary species aside, they are nomads, following the best conditions for flying insects, and often roosting in large flocks. The nests of woodswallows are loosely constructed from fine twigs, and both parents help rear the young.
Historically, the cracticines – (currawong
Currawong
Currawongs are three species of medium-sized passerine birds belonging to the genus Strepera in the family Artamidae native to Australasia. These are the Grey Currawong , Pied Currawong , and Black Currawong . The common name comes from the call of the familiar Pied Currawong of eastern Australia...
s, Australian Magpie
Australian Magpie
The Australian Magpie is a medium-sized black and white passerine bird native to Australia and southern New Guinea. A member of the Artamidae, it is closely related to the butcherbirds...
and butcherbird
Butcherbird
Butcherbirds are magpie-like birds in the genus Cracticus. They are native to Australasia. Their closest relatives are the three species of currawong...
s – were seen as a separate family Cracticidae. With their 1985 DNA study, Sibley and Ahlquist recognised the close relationship between the woodswallows and the butcherbirds in 1985, and placed them in a Cracticini clade, now the family Artamidae. The two species of peltops
Peltops
Peltops is a genus of bird in the butcherbird family Cracticidae. The genus contains two species endemic to the island of New Guinea. The genus was once placed with the monarch flycatchers, but molecular and morphometric studies place it closer to the butcherbirds and woodswallows, possibly as a...
were once placed with the monarch flycatchers but are now placed here.
The cracticines have large, straight bills and mostly black, white or grey plumage. All are omnivorous to some degree: the butcherbirds mostly eat meat, Australian Magpies usually forage through short grass looking for worms and other small creatures, currawongs are true omnivores, taking fruit, grain, meat, insects, eggs and nestlings. The female constructs bulky nests from sticks, and both parents help incubate the eggs and raise the young thereafter.
The cracticines, despite their fairly plain, utilitarian appearance, are highly intelligent and have extraordinarily beautiful songs of great subtlety. Particularly noteworthy are the Pied Butcherbird
Pied Butcherbird
The Pied Butcherbird is a medium-sized songbird native to Australia. It grows about 35 centimetres long and the colour of juvenile birds, which are accompanied by their parents, is brown and white as seen in the picture. As they mature their brown feathers are replaced by black feathers...
, the Pied Currawong
Pied Currawong
The Pied Currawong is a medium-sized black passerine bird native to eastern Australia and Lord Howe Island. One of three currawong species in the genus Strepera, it is closely related to the butcherbirds and Australian Magpie of the family Artamidae. Six subspecies are recognised...
and the Australian Magpie
Australian Magpie
The Australian Magpie is a medium-sized black and white passerine bird native to Australia and southern New Guinea. A member of the Artamidae, it is closely related to the butcherbirds...
.
Species of Artamidae
- Subfamily Artaminae
- Genus ArtamusWoodswallowWoodswallows are soft-plumaged, somber-coloured passerine birds. There is a single genus, Artamus, The woodswallows are either treated as a subfamily, Artaminae in an expanded family Artamidae, which includes the butcherbirds and Australian Magpie, or as the only genus in that family...
- Ashy WoodswallowAshy WoodswallowThe Ashy Woodswallow, Artamus fuscus, is a woodswallow which is found in south Asia.The plumage of this species is pale grey....
, Artamus fuscus - Fiji WoodswallowFiji WoodswallowThe Fiji Woodswallow is a species of woodswallow in the family Artamidae. It is endemic to most of the islands of Fiji, although it is absent from Kadavu Archipelago and the Lau Archipelago. The species was once considered a race of the White-breasted Woodswallow, which breeds from Australia, New...
, Artamus mentalis - White-backed Woodswallow, Artamus monachus
- Great WoodswallowGreat WoodswallowThe Great Woodswallow is a species of bird in the Artamidae family.It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.-References:...
, Artamus maximus - White-breasted WoodswallowWhite-breasted WoodswallowThe White-breasted Woodswallow, Artamus leucorynchus, is a small passerine bird which breeds from the Andaman Islands east through Indonesia and northern Australia. The name "woodswallow" is a misnomer as they are not closely related to true swallows...
, Artamus leucorynchus - Bismarck WoodswallowBismarck WoodswallowThe White-backed Woodswallow or Bismarck Woodswallow is a species of bird in the Artamidae family.It is endemic to Papua New Guinea.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.-References:...
, Artamus insignis - Masked WoodswallowMasked WoodswallowThe Masked Woodswallow is a species of bird in the Artamidae family.It is found in Australia and New Zealand.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests.-References:...
, Artamus personatus - White-browed WoodswallowWhite-browed WoodswallowThe White-browed Woodswallow is a moderately-sized passerine bird native to inland Australia. Like all woodswallows, it has a brush-tipped tongue but feeds almost exclusively on flying insects....
, Artamus superciliosus - Black-faced WoodswallowBlack-faced WoodswallowThe Black-faced Woodswallow, Artamus cinereus is a woodswallow. This swallow is 19 cm long. It is the most widespread species in the family Artamidae. They live in Australia, New Guinea and the Sunda Islands, including Timor.- External links :*...
, Artamus cinereus - Dusky WoodswallowDusky WoodswallowThe Dusky Woodswallow , is a bird species of forests and woodlands in tropical and subtropical regions, in eastern and southern Australia....
, Artamus cyanopterus - Little WoodswallowLittle WoodswallowThe Little Woodswallow , is a bird patchily distributed over much of mainland Australia, avoiding only the driest deserts and the area within about 300 kilometres of the southern coastline, and showing a preference for rugged terrain around inland ranges.As its name suggests, at 12 to 14 cm in...
, Artamus minor
- Ashy Woodswallow
- Genus Artamus
- Subfamily Cracticinae:
- Genus PeltopsPeltopsPeltops is a genus of bird in the butcherbird family Cracticidae. The genus contains two species endemic to the island of New Guinea. The genus was once placed with the monarch flycatchers, but molecular and morphometric studies place it closer to the butcherbirds and woodswallows, possibly as a...
- Mountain PeltopsMountain PeltopsThe Mountain Peltops is a species of bird in the Cracticidae family.It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montanes....
, Peltops montanus - Lowland PeltopsLowland PeltopsThe Lowland Peltops or Clicking Shieldbill is a species of bird in the Cracticidae family.It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.-References:...
, Peltops blainvillii
- Mountain Peltops
- Genus Cracticus
- Black ButcherbirdBlack ButcherbirdThe Black Butcherbird is a species of bird in the Cracticidae family.It is found in Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea....
, Cracticus quoyi - Grey ButcherbirdGrey ButcherbirdThe Grey Butcherbird is a widely distributed species endemic to Australia. The Grey Butcherbird occurs in a range of different habitats including arid, semi-arid and temperate zones. It has a characteristic "rollicking" birdsong...
, Cracticus torquatus - Hooded ButcherbirdHooded ButcherbirdThe Hooded Butcherbird is a species of passerine bird in the Cracticidae family. It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.-Taxonomy:...
, Cracticus cassicus - Tagula ButcherbirdTagula ButcherbirdThe Tagula Butcherbird is a species of bird in the Cracticidae family.It is endemic to Papua New Guinea.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 25 July 2007....
, Cracticus louisiadensis - Black-backed ButcherbirdBlack-backed ButcherbirdThe Black-backed Butcherbird is a species of bird in the Cracticidae family.It is found in Papua New Guinea Indonesia, and northern Queensland in Australia.-References:...
, Cracticus mentalis - Australian MagpieAustralian MagpieThe Australian Magpie is a medium-sized black and white passerine bird native to Australia and southern New Guinea. A member of the Artamidae, it is closely related to the butcherbirds...
, Cracticus tibicen - Pied ButcherbirdPied ButcherbirdThe Pied Butcherbird is a medium-sized songbird native to Australia. It grows about 35 centimetres long and the colour of juvenile birds, which are accompanied by their parents, is brown and white as seen in the picture. As they mature their brown feathers are replaced by black feathers...
, Cracticus nigrogularis
- Black Butcherbird
- Genus Strepera
- Pied CurrawongPied CurrawongThe Pied Currawong is a medium-sized black passerine bird native to eastern Australia and Lord Howe Island. One of three currawong species in the genus Strepera, it is closely related to the butcherbirds and Australian Magpie of the family Artamidae. Six subspecies are recognised...
, Strepera graculina - Black Currawong, Strepera fuliginosa
- Grey Currawong, Strepera versicolor
- Pied Currawong
- Genus Peltops
A fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
right scapula
Scapula
In anatomy, the scapula , omo, or shoulder blade, is the bone that connects the humerus with the clavicle ....
(MNZ S41061) found at the Manuherikia River
Manuherikia River
The Manuherikia River is located in Otago in the South Island of New Zealand. It rises in the far north of the Maniototo, flowing southwest for 85 kilometres before its confluence with the Clutha River at Alexandra. During the 1860s the Manuherikia was one of the centres of the Central Otago Gold...
in Otago
Otago
Otago is a region of New Zealand in the south of the South Island. The region covers an area of approximately making it the country's second largest region. The population of Otago is...
, 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...
and dating from the Early to Middle Miocene
Middle Miocene
The Middle Miocene is a sub-epoch of the Miocene Epoch made up of two stages: the Langhian and Serravallian stages. The Middle Miocene is preceded by the Early Miocene....
(Awamoan to Lillburnian, 19-16 million years ago) represents a member of the Cracticinae.
External links
- Artamidae videos on the Internet Bird Collection