Everything about Corvida totally explained
The
"Corvida" were one of two "
parvorders" contained within the suborder
Passeri, as proposed in the
Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy. Standard
taxonomic practice would place them at the rank of
infraorder.
More recent research suggests that this isn't a distinct
clade - a group of closest relatives and nothing else - but an
evolutionary grade instead. As such, it's abandoned in modern treatments, being replaced by a number of
superfamilies that are considered rather
basal among the Passeri.
It ws presumed that cooperative breeding - present in many or most members of the
Maluridae,
Meliphagidae,
Artamidae and
Corvidae, among others - is a common
apomorphy of this group. But as evidenced by the updated
phylogeny, this trait is rather the result of
parallel evolution, perhaps because the early Passeri had to compete against many ecologically similar birds (see also
near passerine).
Placement of "Corvida" families
This table lists, in taxonomic order, the families placed in "Corvida" by the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy in the left column. The right column contains details of their placement in modern systematics.
Corvoidea and
Meliphagoidea are placed basally among the Passeri too. They are, however, groups large enough to considered superfamilies in their own right.
| Family |
Modern placement |
| Menuridae: lyrebirds |
Basalmost Passeri, close to Atrichornithidae |
| Atrichornithidae: scrub-birds |
Basalmost Passeri, close to Menuridae |
| Climacteridae: Australian treecreepers |
Basal Passeri, close to Ptilonorhynchidae and Turnagridae |
| Maluridae: fairy-wrens, emu-wrens and grasswrens |
Meliphagoidea. Nowadays several families. |
| Meliphagidae: honeyeaters and allies |
Meliphagoidea |
| Pardalotidae: pardalotes, scrubwrens, thornbills, and gerygones |
Meliphagoidea. Nowadays several families; Pardalotidae proper might belong in Meliphagidae |
| Petroicidae: Australian robins |
Passeri incertae sedis |
| Orthonychidae: logrunners |
Passeri incertae sedis, close to Pomatostomidae |
| Pomatostomidae: Australasian babblers |
Passeri incertae sedis, close to Orthonychidae |
| Cinclosomatidae: whipbirds and allies |
Corvoidea incertae sedis, relationships with Pachycephalidae unresolved |
| Neosittidae: sittellas |
Corvoidea |
| Pachycephalidae: whistlers, shrike-thrushes, pitohuis and allies |
Corvoidea incertae sedis, highly paraphyletic and relationships with Cinclosomatidae unresolved |
| Dicruridae: monarch flycatchers and allies |
Corvoidea. Possibly paraphyletic |
| Campephagidae: cuckoo-shrikes and trillers (initially included in Laniidae) |
Corvoidea |
| Oriolidae: orioles and Figbird |
Corvoidea |
| Icteridae: American blackbirds/orioles, grackles and cowbirds |
Passerida: Passeroidea (the most "modern" main lineage of songbirds) |
| Artamidae: woodswallows, butcherbirds, currawongs and Australian Magpie |
Corvoidea |
| Paradisaeidae: birds of paradise |
Corvoidea |
| Corvidae: crows, ravens, jays, etc |
Corvoidea |
| Corcoracidae: White-winged Chough and Apostlebird |
Corvoidea |
| Irenidae: fairy-bluebirds |
Passeri incertae sedis; close to Passeroidea or Regulidae (kinglets) |
| Laniidae: shrikes |
Corvoidea |
| Prionopidae: helmetshrikes (initially included in Laniidae) |
Corvoidea |
| Malaconotidae: bush-shrikes and allies (initially included in Laniidae) |
Corvoidea |
| Vireonidae: vireos |
Corvoidea |
| Vangidae: vangas |
Corvoidea |
| Ptilonorhynchidae: bowerbirds |
Basal Passeri, close to Climacteridae and Turnagridae |
| Turnagridae: piopios |
Basal Passeri, close to Climacteridae and Ptilonorhynchidae |
| Callaeidae: New Zealand wattlebirds |
Corvoidea? |
In addition, the following families were not included in the "Corvida" although their closest relationships are with taxa included therein:
| Family |
Sibley-Ahlquist placement |
Modern placement |
| Melanocharitidae: berrypeckers and longbills |
Passerida |
Corvoidea |
| Paramythiidae: Tit Berrypecker and Crested Berrypecker |
Passerida (included in Melanocharitidae) |
Corvoidea |
| Platysteiridae: wattle-eyes |
Passerida (included in Muscicapidae) |
Corvoidea |
Footnotes
Further Information
Get more info on 'Corvida'.
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