Grallinidae
Encyclopedia
The Grallinidae was a presumed family
of passerine birds
. In DNA research, however, the species in this family were discovered to be unrelated.
The four species that were formerly considered to be Grallinidae were:
The first two of these are now often assigned to the Dicruridae family, although some people still classify them in a separate family. The latter two form the Corcoracidae
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...
of passerine birds
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...
. In DNA research, however, the species in this family were discovered to be unrelated.
The four species that were formerly considered to be Grallinidae were:
- the Magpie-larkMagpie-larkThe Magpie-lark is a conspicuous Australian bird of small to medium size, also known as the Mudlark in Victoria and Western Australia, the Murray Magpie in South Australia, and as the Peewee in New South Wales and Queensland...
(Grallina cyanoleuca) - the Torrent-larkTorrent-larkThe Torrentlark is a species of bird in the Monarchidae 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....
(Grallina bruijni) - the White-winged ChoughWhite-winged ChoughThe White-winged Chough is one of only two surviving members of the Australian mud-nest builders family, Corcoracidae, and is the only member of the genus Corcorax...
(Corcorax melanorhamphos) - the ApostlebirdApostlebirdThe Apostlebird , also known as the Grey Jumper, is a quick-moving, gray or black bird about 13 inches long. It is a native to Australia where it roams woodlands, eating insects and seeds at, or near, ground level...
(Struthidea cinerea)
The first two of these are now often assigned to the Dicruridae family, although some people still classify them in a separate family. The latter two form the Corcoracidae
Corcoracidae
The Australian mudnesters are passerine family Struthideidae. The family is often commonly called Corcoracidae, however this is the junior synonym. It contains just two species in two genera, the White-winged Chough, Corcorax melanorhamphos, and the Apostlebird Struthidea cinerea...
family.
External links
- Grallinidae videos on the Internet Bird Collection