Megaluridae
Encyclopedia
Locustellidae is a newly recognized family
of small insectivorous songbird
s ("warblers"), formerly placed in the Old World warbler
"wastebin
" family
. It contains the grass-warblers, grassbirds, and the Bradypterus
"bush-warblers". These birds occur mainly in Eurasia
, Africa
, and the Australia
n region. The family name is sometimes given as Megaluridae, but Locustellidae has priority.
The species
are smallish birds with tails that are usually long and pointed; the scientific name of the genus
Megalurus in fact means "the large-tailed one" in plain English. They are less wren
-like than the typical shrub-warblers (Cettia
) but like these drab brownish or buffy all over. They tend to be larger and slimmer than Cettia though, and many have bold dark streaks on wings and/or underside. Most live in scrubland and frequently hunt food by clambering through thick tangled growth or pursuing it on the ground; they are perhaps the most terrestrial
of the "warblers". Very unusual for Passeriformes, beginning evolution
towards flightlessness
is seen in some taxa.
Among the "warbler and babbler
" superfamily
Sylvioidea
, the Locustellidae are closest to the Malagasy warblers, another newly-recognized (and hitherto unnamed) family; the Black-capped Donacobius
(Donacobius atricapillus) is an American
relative derived from the same ancestral stock and not a wren as was long believed.
Several other (usually small or monotypic
) genera are suspected to belong here too:
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 small insectivorous songbird
Songbird
A songbird is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of the perching birds . Another name that is sometimes seen as scientific or vernacular name is Oscines, from Latin oscen, "a songbird"...
s ("warblers"), formerly placed in the Old World warbler
Old World warbler
The "Old World Warblers" is the name used to describe a large group of birds formerly grouped together in the bird family Sylviidae. The family held over 400 species in over 70 genera, and were the source of much taxonomic confusion. Two families were split out initially, the cisticolas into...
"wastebin
Wastebin taxon
Wastebasket taxon is a term used in some taxonomic circles to refer to a taxon that has the sole purpose of classifying organisms that do not fit anywhere else. They are typically defined by their lack of one or more distinct character states or by their not belonging to one or more other taxa...
" family
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...
. It contains the grass-warblers, grassbirds, and the Bradypterus
Bradypterus
Bradypterus is a genus of small insectivorous songbirds in the newly recognized grass warbler family . They were formerly placed in the Sylviidae, which at that time was a wastebin taxon for the warbler-like Sylvioidea...
"bush-warblers". These birds occur mainly in Eurasia
Eurasia
Eurasia is a continent or supercontinent comprising the traditional continents of Europe and Asia ; covering about 52,990,000 km2 or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...
, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, and the Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n region. The family name is sometimes given as Megaluridae, but Locustellidae has priority.
The species
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...
are smallish birds with tails that are usually long and pointed; the scientific name of the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Megalurus in fact means "the large-tailed one" in plain English. They are less wren
Wren
The wrens are passerine birds in the mainly New World family Troglodytidae. There are approximately 80 species of true wrens in approximately 20 genera....
-like than the typical shrub-warblers (Cettia
Cettia
Cettia is a genus of small insectivorous songbirds which make up the core of the newly recognized family Cettiidae. They were formerly placed in the Sylviidae, which at that time was a wastebin taxon for the warbler-like Sylvioidea. The range of this genus extends from Europe to the western Pacific...
) but like these drab brownish or buffy all over. They tend to be larger and slimmer than Cettia though, and many have bold dark streaks on wings and/or underside. Most live in scrubland and frequently hunt food by clambering through thick tangled growth or pursuing it on the ground; they are perhaps the most terrestrial
Terrestrial animal
Terrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land , as compared with aquatic animals, which live predominantly or entirely in the water , or amphibians, which rely on a combination of aquatic and terrestrial habitats...
of the "warblers". Very unusual for Passeriformes, beginning evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
towards flightlessness
Flightless bird
Flightless birds are birds which lack the ability to fly, relying instead on their ability to run or swim. They are thought to have evolved from flying ancestors. There are about forty species in existence today, the best known being the ostrich, emu, cassowary, rhea, kiwi, and penguin...
is seen in some taxa.
Among the "warbler and babbler
Babbler
Babbler may refer to:* Old World babbler, a large family of mostly Old World passerine birds* Australo-Papuan babbler, passerine birds endemic to Australia-New Guinea* The Babbler, the journal of BirdLife International in Indochina...
" superfamily
Taxonomic rank
In biological classification, rank is the level in a taxonomic hierarchy. Examples of taxonomic ranks are species, genus, family, and class. Each rank subsumes under it a number of less general categories...
Sylvioidea
Sylvioidea
Sylvioidea is a superfamily of passerine birds. It is one of at least three major clades within the Passerida along with the Muscicapoidea and Passeroidea. It contains about 1300 species including the Old World warblers, Old World babblers, swallows, larks, bulbuls and perhaps the tits...
, the Locustellidae are closest to the Malagasy warblers, another newly-recognized (and hitherto unnamed) family; the Black-capped Donacobius
Black-capped Donacobius
The Black-capped Donacobius is a conspicuous, vocal South American bird. It is found in tropical swamps and wetlands in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela; also Panama of Central America.-Taxonomy:The Black-capped...
(Donacobius atricapillus) is an American
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
relative derived from the same ancestral stock and not a wren as was long believed.
Genera
- BradypterusBradypterusBradypterus is a genus of small insectivorous songbirds in the newly recognized grass warbler family . They were formerly placed in the Sylviidae, which at that time was a wastebin taxon for the warbler-like Sylvioidea...
– Megalurid bush-warblers (more than 20 species; paraphyletic) - Elaphrornis – Sri Lanka Bush-warbler
- Locustella – grass-warblers (9 species)
- MegalurusMegalurusMegalurus is a genus of passerine bird in the family Locustellidae. The genus was once placed in the Old World warbler "wastebin" family Sylviidae. The genus contains six species also known as the typical grassbirds...
– typical grassbirds (5 species; probably polyphyletic) - SchoenicolaSchoenicolaSchoenicola is a genus of Old World warbler in the Locustellidae family. There are two species, one from Africa and one from peninsular India. The genus has been placed in the subfamily Megalurinae.It contains the following species:...
– wide-tailed grassbirds (2 species; tentatively placed here) - Cincloramphus – songlarks (2 species; tentatively placed here)
Several other (usually small or monotypic
Monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...
) genera are suspected to belong here too:
- Bowdleria – fernbirds (1 living species, 1 recently extinct; sometimes included in Megalurus)
- Buettikoferella – Buff-banded Bushbird
- Chaetornis – Bristled Grassbird
- Dromaeocercus – emu-tails (2 species, includes Amphilais)
- Eremiornis – Spinifex-bird
- MegalurulusMegalurulusMegalurulus, the thicketbirds, are a genus of songbirds. Previously placed in the "Old World Warbler" family Sylviidae, they does not seem to be a close relative of the typical warblers...
– thicketbirds (5 species)