Group of birds
The "Corvida" were one of two "parvorders " contained within the suborder Passeri , as proposed in the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy , the other being Passerida . Standard taxonomic practice would place them at the rank of infraorder .
More recent research suggests that this is not a distinct clade —a group of closest relatives and nothing else—but an evolutionary grade instead. As such, it is abandoned in modern treatments, being replaced by a number of superfamilies that are considered rather basal among the Passeri.
It was 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.[1] 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 near passerine ).[2]
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 be 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
Ptilonorhynchidae : bowerbirds
Basal Passeri, close to Climacteridae
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 : Australasian robins
Passeri incertae sedis , close to Picathartidae
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
Oriolidae : orioles and figbirds
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
Cnemophilidae : satinbirds (included in Paradisaeidae)
Passeri incertae sedis , possibly close to Callaeidae
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
Turnagridae : piopios
Corvoidea (included in Oriolidae)
Callaeidae : New Zealand wattlebirds
Passeri incertae sedis , possibly close to Cnemophilidae
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
Platysteiridae : wattle-eyes
Passerida (included in Muscicapidae )
Corvoidea
Picathartidae : rockfowl
Passerida
Passeri incertae sedis , close to Petroicidae
Chaetopidae : rockjumpers
Passerida (Turdidae )
Passeri incertae sedis , close to Petroicidae
Melanocharitidae : berrypeckers and longbills
Passerida
Passeri incertae sedis , possibly close to Cnemophilidae
Paramythiidae : tit berrypecker and crested berrypecker
Passerida (included in Melanocharitidae)
Passeri incertae sedis , possibly close to Cnemophilidae
References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Corvida .
Cockburn, A. (1996): Why do so many Australian birds cooperate? Social evolution in the Corvida. In: Floyd, R.; Sheppard, A. & de Barro, P. (eds.) : Frontiers in Population Ecology : 21–42. CSIRO, Melbourne.