Pachycephalinae
Encyclopedia
The whistlers, shrike-thrushes and pitohuis are the c.50 species of birds from the subfamily Pachycephalinae. They are found in the ecozones of Australasia
, Oceania
and Indomalaya
, but the vast majority of the species are found in Wallacea
, New Guinea
and Australia
. Most genera
are species-poor or monotypic
, but Pachycephala
(typical whistlers or thickheads) has a considerable diversity. Recent genetic
evidence suggests that the Yellow-flanked Whistler actually should be considered a monotypic
subfamily of the Bombycillidae.
Genus Hylocitrea
Genus Coracornis
Genus Aleadryas
Genus Pachycephala
– typical whistlers (more than 30 species)
Genus Colluricincla
– shrike-thrushes
Genus Pitohui
– pitohuis (6 species)
Genus Eulacestoma – Wattled Ploughbill
Australasia ecozone
The Australasian zone is an ecological region that is coincident, but not synonymous , with the geographic region of Australasia...
, Oceania
Oceania ecozone
Oceania is one of the WWF ecozones, and unique in not including any continental land mass. The ecozone includes the Pacific Ocean islands of Micronesia, the Fijian Islands, and most of Polynesia...
and Indomalaya
Indomalaya
The Indomalaya ecozone is one of the eight ecozones that cover the planet's land surface. It extends across most of South and Southeast Asia and into the southern parts of East Asia....
, but the vast majority of the species are found in Wallacea
Wallacea
Wallacea is a biogeographical designation for a group of Indonesian islands separated by deep water straits from the Asian and Australian continental shelves. Wallacea includes Sulawesi, the largest island in the group, as well as Lombok, Sumbawa, Flores, Sumba, Timor, Halmahera, Buru, Seram, and...
, New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
and 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...
. Most genera
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...
are species-poor 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...
, but Pachycephala
Pachycephala
Pachycephala is a genus of birds native to Oceania and Southeast Asia. They are commonly known as typical whistlers. Older guidebooks may refer to them as thickheads, a literal translation of the generic name, which is derived from the Ancient Greek terms pachys "thick" + kephale "head".-Species in...
(typical whistlers or thickheads) has a considerable diversity. Recent genetic
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
evidence suggests that the Yellow-flanked Whistler actually should be considered a 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...
subfamily of the Bombycillidae.
- Genus Pachycare
- Dwarf Whistler,
- Yellow-flanked Whistler, Hylocitrea bonensis
- Maroon-backed WhistlerMaroon-backed WhistlerThe Maroon-backed Whistler is a species of bird in the Pachycephalidae family. It is monotypic within the genus Coracornis.It is endemic to Indonesia.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes....
,
- Rufous-naped WhistlerRufous-naped WhistlerThe Rufous-naped Whistler is a species of bird in the Pachycephalidae family. It is monotypic within the genus Aleadryas. It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea....
, Aleadryas rufinucha
Pachycephala
Pachycephala is a genus of birds native to Oceania and Southeast Asia. They are commonly known as typical whistlers. Older guidebooks may refer to them as thickheads, a literal translation of the generic name, which is derived from the Ancient Greek terms pachys "thick" + kephale "head".-Species in...
– typical whistlers (more than 30 species)
Shrike-thrush
Colluricincla is a bird genus in the family Colluricinclidae, which was formerly included in the Pachycephalidae. Its members are known as the shrikethrushes.It contains the following species:* Bower's Shrikethrush, Colluricincla boweri...
– shrike-thrushes
- Sooty Shrike-thrushSooty Shrike-thrushThe Sooty Shrikethrush is a species of bird in the Colluricinclidae family.It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes.-References:...
, Colluricincla umbrina - Little Shrike-thrushLittle Shrike-thrushThe Little Shrikethrush is a species of bird in the Colluricinclidae family.It is found in Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea....
, Colluricincla megarhyncha - Sangihe Shrike-thrushSangihe Shrike-thrushThe Sangihe Shrikethrush is a species of bird in the Colluricinclidae family. It is endemic to Indonesia.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat loss....
, Colluricincla sanghirensis - Bower's Shrike-thrushBower's Shrike-thrushThe Bower's Shrikethrush is a species of bird in the Colluricinclidae family.It is endemic to Australia.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montanes....
, Colluricincla boweri - Sandstone Shrike-thrushSandstone Shrike-thrushThe Sandstone Shrikethrush is a species of bird in the Colluricinclidae family.It is endemic to Australia.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 25 July 2007....
, Colluricincla woodwardi - Grey Shrike-thrushGrey Shrike-thrushThe Grey Shrikethrush or Grey Shrike-thrush , formerly commonly known as Grey Thrush, is one of the best-loved and most distinctive songbirds of Australasia. It is moderately common to common in most parts of Australia, but absent from the driest of the inland deserts...
, Colluricincla harmonica - MorningbirdMorningbirdThe Morningbird is a songbird species in the family Colluricinclidae, which was formerly included in the Pachycephalidae...
, Colluricincla tenebrosa
Pitohui
The pitohuis are a genus of birds endemic to New Guinea, belonging to the family Pachycephalidae.Currently six species are classified in the genus, though current molecular genetics research suggests that significant reclassification of the Pachycephalidae may be needed.-Species:* Variable...
– pitohuis (6 species)