Sturnidae

Brahminy starling Temenuchus pagodarum, copyright Mukerjee.

Belongs within: Muscicapida.
Contains: Aplonis, Onychognathus, Lamprotornis, Acridotheres.

The Sturnidae, starlings, are a family of medium-sized omnivorous birds native to the Old World, though the common starling Sturnus vulgaris has also been introduced to North America. Members of the family are often boldly coloured, often with glossy metallic plumage.

Characters (from Austin 1961): Medium-sized; bill straight or slightly downcurved; plumage generally dark-coloured, often with metallic sheen, moulted annually after breeding; wings with ten primaries, outermost primary greatly shortened; tail commonly short and square (occasionally rounded or long and pointed); legs stout and strong.

Sturnidae [Sturnidia, Sturninae]
    |  i. s.: Lamprocolius BF01
    |           |--L. chloropterus BF01
    |           |--L. ignitus D66
    |           `--L. splendidus D66
    |         Necropsar rodericanus OF05
    |         Heteropsar acuticaudus RN72
    |--+--Rhabdornis Reichenbach 1853 JT12, B94 [Rhabdornithidae JT12]
    |  |    |--R. grandis JT12
    |  |    |--R. inornatus JT12
    |  |    `--R. mysticalis JT12
    |  `--+--+--Aplonis JT12
    |     |  `--+--Scissirostrum dubium JT12
    |     |     `--Enodes erythrophris JT12
    |     `--+--+--Basilornis BKB15
    |        |  |    |--B. celebensis JT12
    |        |  |    |--B. corythaix JT12
    |        |  |    `--B. galeatus JT12
    |        |  `--+--‘Basilornis’ mirandus BKB15
    |        |     `--+--Sarcops Walden 1877 JT12, B94 [incl. Gymnops Cuvier 1829 B94; Gymnopinae]
    |        |        |    `--S. calvus JF06
    |        |        `--Streptocitta JT12
    |        |             |--S. albertinae JT12
    |        |             `--S. albicollis JT12
    |        `--+--Mino BKB15
    |           |    |  i. s.: M. coronatus A61
    |           |    |--M. anais BKB15
    |           |    `--+--M. dumontii BKB15
    |           |       `--M. kreffti BKB15
    |           `--+--Ampeliceps coronatus JT12
    |              `--Gracula Linnaeus 1758 JT12, B94 (see below for synonymy)
    |                   |--G. barita Linnaeus 1758 L58
    |                   |--G. cristatella Linnaeus 1758 L58
    |                   |--G. intermedia Hay 1844 [=Mainatus intermedius] M01
    |                   |--G. ptilogenys JT12
    |                   `--G. religiosa Linnaeus 1758 L58
    `--+--+--+--‘Cinnyricinclus’ leucogaster BKB15
       |  |  `--Saroglossa aurata JT12
       |  `--+--Onychognathus JF06
       |     `--+--Lamprotornis BKB15
       |        `--+--+--‘Lamprotornis’ cupreocauda BKB15
       |           |  `--‘Lamprotornis’ purpureiceps JT12
       |           `--+--+--Saroglossa spiloptera BKB15
       |              |  `--Neocichla gutturalis JT12
       |              `--+--Grafisia torquata JT12
       |                 `--+--Speculipastor bicolor JT12
       |                    `--+--Cinnyricinclus JT12
       |                       |    |--P. femoralis BKB15 [=Cinnyricinclus femoralis JT12]
       |                       |    `--P. sharpii BKB15 [=Cinnyricinclus sharpii JF06]
       |                       `--Poeoptera JT12
       |                            |--P. lugubris JT12
       |                            `--+--P. kenricki JT12
       |                               `--P. stuhlmanni JT12
       `--+--Sturnus Linnaeus 1758 BKB15, CC10 (see below for synonymy)
          |    |--*S. vulgaris Linnaeus 1758 CC10
          |    |--S. cinclus Linnaeus 1758 L58
          |    |--S. luteolus Linnaeus 1758 L58
          |    `--S. unicolor JT12
          `--+--+--Creatophora cinerea JT12
             |  `--Pastor Temminck 1815 BKB15, B94 [Pastorinae]
             |       `--P. roseus BKB15 [=Sturnus roseus JT12]
             `--+--+--Gracupica BKB15
                |  |    |--G. contra (Linnaeus 1758) BKB15, L58 [=Sturnus contra JT12]
                |  |    `--G. nigricollis BKB15 [=Sturnus nigricollis JT12]
                |  `--+--‘Sturnia’ philippensis BKB15 [=Sturnus philippensis JT12]
                |     `--‘Sturnia’ sturnina BKB15 [=Sturnus sturninus JT12]
                `--+--+--Acridotheres JT12
                   |  `--+--‘Sturnus’ cineraceus JT12
                   |     `--‘Sturnus’ sericeus JT12
                   `--+--Fregilupus BKB15
                      |    |--F. rodericanus FP64
                      |    `--F. varius OF05
                      `--+--Leucopsar rothschildi BKB15
                         `--Sturnia BKB15
                              |--S. albofrontata BKB15 [=Sturnus albofrontatus JT12]
                              `--+--S. sinensis BKB15 [=Sturnus sinensis JT12]
                                 `--+--Temenuchus pagodarum BKB15 [=Sturnus pagodarum JT12]
                                    `--+--S. erythropygia BKB15 [=Sturnus erythropygius JT12]
                                       `--S. malabarica BKB15 [=Sturnus malabaricus JT12]
                                            |--S. m. malabarica P02
                                            `--‘Sturnus malabaricus’ blythii P02

Gracula Linnaeus 1758 JF06, B94 [incl. Eulabes Cuvier 1817 B94, Mainatus Vieillot 1817 B94; Eulabetinae, Graculinae, Mainatidae]

Sturnus Linnaeus 1758 BKB15, CC10 [=Sternus (l. c.) B94; incl. Thremmophilus Macgillivray 1837 B94; Thremmophilinae]

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[A61] Austin, O. L., Jr. 1961. Birds of the World: A survey of the twenty-seven orders and one hundred and fifty-five families. Paul Hamlyn: London.

[BF01] Bochkov, A. V., & A. Fain. 2001. Phylogeny and system of the Cheyletidae (Acari: Prostigmata) with special reference to their host-parasite associations. Bulletin de l’Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique Entomologie 71: 5–36.

[B94] Bock, W. J. 1994. History and nomenclature of avian family-group names. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 222: 1–281.

[BKB15] Burleigh, J. G., R. T. Kimball & E. L. Braun. 2015. Building the avian tree of life using a large-scale, sparse supermatrix. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 84: 53–63.

[CC10] Checklist Committee (OSNZ). 2010. Checklist of the Birds of New Zealand, Norfolk and Macquarie Islands, and the Ross Dependency, Antarctica 4^th ed. Ornithological Society of New Zealand and Te Papa Press: Wellington.

[D66] Dohrn, H. 1866. Synopsis of the birds of Ilha do Principe, with some remarks on their habits and descriptions of new species. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1866: 324–332.

[FP64] Fisher, J., & R. T. Peterson. 1964. The World of Birds: A comprehensive guide to general ornithology. Macdonald: London.

[JT12] Jetz, W., G. H. Thomas, J. B. Joy, K. Hartmann & A. Ø. Mooers. 2012. The global diversity of birds in space and time. Nature 491: 444–448.

[JF06] Jønsson, K. A., & J. Fjeldså. 2006. A phylogenetic supertree of oscine passerine birds. Zoologica Scripta 35: 149–186.

[L58] Linnaeus, C. 1758. Systema Naturae per Regna Tria Naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata. Laurentii Salvii: Holmiae.

[M01] Madarász, J. 1901. Madarak [Vögel]. In: Horváth, G. (ed.) Zichy Jenő Gróf Harmadik Ázsiai Utazása [Dritte Asiatische Forschungsreise des Grafen Eugen Zichy] vol. 2. Zichy Jenő Gróf Harmadik Ázsiai Utazásának Állattani Eredményei [Zoologische Ergebnisse der Dritten Asiatischen Forschungsreise des Grafen Eugen Zichy] pp. 21–39. Victor Hornyánszky: Budapest, and Karl W. Hierseman: Leipzig.

[OF05] Olson, S. L., R. C. Fleischer, C. T. Fisher & E. Bermingham. 2005. Expunging the 'Mascarene starling' Necropsar leguati: archives, morphology and molecules topple a myth. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 125 (1): 31–42.

[P02] Patel, P. 2002. Possible new record of Sturnus malabaricus blythii in Valsad district, Gujarat. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 99 (3): 531.

[RN72] Rutgers, A., & K. A. Norris (eds.) 1972. Encyclopaedia of Aviculture vol. 1. Blandford Press: London.

Last updated: 15 July 2019.

Cercotrichas

Seychelles magpie-robins Copsychus sechellarum, copyright Martin Harvey.

Belongs within: Muscicapidae.

Cercotrichas, the scrub robins, is a genus of insectivorous birds found in Africa and southern Eurasia. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that the genus is possibly paraphyletic with regard to the shamas of the genus Copsychus (Burleigh et al. 2015).

<==Cercotrichas Boie 1831 BKB15, B94 [incl. Erythropygia Smith 1836 B94; Cercotrichadinae, Erythropygiinae]
    |  i. s.: ‘Erythropygia’ signata JT12
    |--+--C. coryphaeus BKB15 [=Erythropygia coryphaeus JT12]
    |  `--+--C. quadrivirgata BKB15 [=Erythropygia quadrivirgata JT12]
    |     `--+--C. barbata BKB15 [=Erythropygia barbata JT12]
    |        `--C. leucosticta BKB15 [=Erythropygia leucosticta JT12]
    `--+--+--Trichixos pyrropygus JT12
       |  `--Copsychus Wagler 1827 JT12, B94 [Copsychinae]
       |       |  i. s.: C. pica S66
       |       |--C. pyrropygus BKB15
       |       `--+--C. luzoniensis BKB15
       |          `--+--+--C. cebuensis JT12 [=C. niger cebuensis USDI77]
       |             |  `--C. niger JT12
       |             `--+--C. malabaricus JT12
       |                |    |--C. m. malabaricus L81
       |                |    `--C. m. indicus L81
       |                `--C. stricklandii JT12
       `--+--+--Saxicoloides Lesson 1832 JT12, B94 [incl. Thamnobia Swainson 1832 B94; Thamnobiinae]
          |  |    `--S. fulicatus JT12 [=Copsychus fulicatus BKB15]
          |  `--+--‘Copsychus’ albospecularis JT12
          |     `--+--‘Copsychus’ sechellarum JT12
          |        `--+--‘Copsychus’ saularis JT12 [=Gracula saularis W66]
          |           `--‘Cyornis’ hainanus JT12
          `--+--C. paena BKB15 [=Erythropygia paena JT12]
             `--+--+--C. galactotes BKB15 [=Erythropygia galactotes JT12]
                |  `--C. podobe BKB15
                `--+--C. hartlaubi BKB15 [=Erythropygia hartlaubi JT12]
                   `--C. leucophrys BKB15 [=Erythropygia leucophrys JT12]

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[B94] Bock, W. J. 1994. History and nomenclature of avian family-group names. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 222: 1–281.

[BKB15] Burleigh, J. G., R. T. Kimball & E. L. Braun. 2015. Building the avian tree of life using a large-scale, sparse supermatrix. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 84: 53–63.

[JT12] Jetz, W., G. H. Thomas, J. B. Joy, K. Hartmann & A. Ø. Mooers. 2012. The global diversity of birds in space and time. Nature 491: 444–448.

[L81] Long, J. L. 1981. Introduced Birds of the World: The worldwide history, distribution and influence of birds introduced to new environments. Reed: Sydney.

[S66] Schlegel, H. 1866. Communication from, on mammals and birds collected in Madagascar. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1866: 419–426.

[USDI77] USDI (United States Department of the Interior). 1977. Endangered and threatened wildlife and plants—republication of list of species. Federal Register 42: 36420–36431.

[W66] Walden, A. 1866. Notes on birds collected in Tennasserim and in the Andaman Islands. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1866: 537–556.

Atriplex section Arenariae

Atriplex elegans, from World Botanical.

Belongs within: Atriplex.

The subsection Arenariae in the genus Atriplex is a group of erect or procumbent herbs found in North America.

Characters (from Flores Olvera 2003): Erect, spreading or prostrate annuals to perennials. Leaves alternate, sessile to sub-petiolate; blades ovate, elliptic to linear; margin entire, sinuate to dentate; base attenuate, acute, cuneate to rounded. Staminate inflorescences terminal, spicate to paniculate. Fruiting bracteoles 1–7 per axil, sessile to subsessile, 1–3-nerved to tuberculate; margine entire or with 3–39 teeth from the base or the middle, usually the terminal tooth longer than the laterals; apex rounded to triangular.

<==Atriplex subsect. Arenariae (Standley) Welsh 2000 FO03
    |--A. (subsect. *Arenariae) arenaria Nuttall 1818 FO03
    |--A. abata Johnston 1940 FO03
    |--A. confinis Standley 1916 FO03
    |--A. coronata Watson 1874 FO03
    |--A. coulteri (Moquin-Tandon) Dietrich 1852 FO03
    |--A. elegans (Moquin-Tandon) Dietrich 1852 FO03
    |--A. fasciculata Watson 1882 FO03
    |--A. fructiculosa Jeps. 1892 FO03
    |--A. linifolia von Humboldt & Bonpland ex von Willdenow 1806 FO03
    |--A. muricata von Humboldt & Bonpland ex von Willdenow 1806 FO03
    |--A. pacifica Nelson 1904 FO03
    |--A. pentandra (von Jacquin) Standley 1916 FO03
    |--A. pueblensis Standley 1916 FO03
    |--A. serenana Nelson ex Abrams 1904 FO03
    |--A. tampicensis Standley 1916 FO03
    |--A. texana Watson 1874 FO03
    |--A. thornberi (Jones) Standley 1916 FO03
    |--A. valdesii Flores Olvera 1994 FO03
    `--A. wrightii Watson 1874 FO03

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[FO03] Flores Olvera, H. 2003. Classification of North American species of Atriplex section Obione (Chenopodiaceae) based on numerical taxonomic analysis. Taxon 52: 247–260.

Alauda

Japanese skylark Alauda japonica, copyright Alpsdrake.

Belongs within: Alaudidae.

Alauda, the skylarks, are a genus of larks found in the Palaearctic region (with the Eurasian skylark Alauda arvensis also introduced to eastern Australia, New Zealand and North America). Members of this genus have streaked brown upperparts, pale underparts and a short erectile crest. The Oriental skylark A. gulgula of eastern Asia differs from the Eurasian skylark A. arvensis in being smaller with a relatively longer and thicker bill, shorter tail and shorter wings.

<==Alauda Linnaeus 1758 CC10
    |--*A. arvensis Linnaeus 1758 CC10
    |    |--A. a. arvensis CC10 (see below for synonymy)
    |    |--A. a. cantarella Bonaparte 1850 L03
    |    |--A. a. intermedia VP89
    |    |--A. a. pekinensis Swinhoe 1863 [incl. A. buxtoni Allen 1905] L03
    |    `--A. a. scotica Tschusi 1903 CC10
    |--A. alpestris Linnaeus 1758 L58
    |--A. dulcivox Hume 1872 L03
    |--A. gulgula JT12
    |    |--A. g. gulgula L03
    |    |--A. g. coelivox Swinhoe 1859 L03
    |    |--A. g. herberti Hartert 1923 [=A. arvensis herberti] L03
    |    |--A. g. sala Swinhoe 1870 [incl. A. arvensis hainana Hartert 1922] L03
    |    |--A. g. vernayi Mayr in Stanford & Mayr 1941 [=A. arvensis vernayi] L03
    |    `--A. g. weigoldi Hartert 1922 [=A. arvensis weigoldi] L03
    |--A. gypsorum Portis 1887 M02
    |--A. japonica JT12 [=A. arvensis japonica L81]
    |--A. major Portis 1887 M02
    |--A. pyrrhonota S66
    |--A. razae JT12
    `--A. spinoletta Linnaeus 1758 L58

Alauda arvensis arvensis Linnaeus 1758 CC10 [incl. A. albigularis Brehm 1841 L03, A. bugiensis Löwenstein & Brehm in Brehm 1841 L03, A. galeridaria Brehm 1841 L03, A. gracilis Brehm 1841 L03, A. montana Brehm 1831 L03, A. pratorum Brehm 1841 L03, A. tenuirostris Brehm 1841 L03]

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[CC10] Checklist Committee (OSNZ). 2010. Checklist of the Birds of New Zealand, Norfolk and Macquarie Islands, and the Ross Dependency, Antarctica 4^th ed. Ornithological Society of New Zealand and Te Papa Press: Wellington.

[JT12] Jetz, W., G. H. Thomas, J. B. Joy, K. Hartmann & A. Ø. Mooers. 2012. The global diversity of birds in space and time. Nature 491: 444–448.

[L03] LeCroy, M. 2003. Type specimens of birds in the American Museum of Natural History. Part 5. Passeriformes: Alaudidae, Hirundinidae, Motacillidae, Campephagidae, Pycnonotidae, Irenidae, Laniidae, Vangidae, Bombycillidae, Dulidae, Cinclidae, Troglodytidae, and Mimidae. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 278: 1–156.

[L58] Linnaeus, C. 1758. Systema Naturae per Regna Tria Naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata. Laurentii Salvii: Holmiae.

[L81] Long, J. L. 1981. Introduced Birds of the World: The worldwide history, distribution and influence of birds introduced to new environments. Reed: Sydney.

[M02] Mlíkovský, J. 2002. Cenozoic Birds of the World. Part 1: Europe. Ninox Press: Praha.

[S66] Sclater, P. L. 1866. Report on birds collected at Windvogelberg, South Africa, by Capt. G. E. Bulger, C. M. Z. S. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1866: 21–23.

[VP89] Viney, C., & K. Phillipps. 1989. Birds of Hong Kong 5^th ed. Government Printer: Hong Kong.

Last updated: 15 July 2019.

Pycnonotus

Black-crested bulbul Pycnonotus melanicterus, copyright Don-Jean Léandri.

Belongs within: Pycnonotidae.

Pycnonotus is a diverse genus of bulbuls found in Africa and southern Asia, with the higher diversity of species in the latter. Notable members include the red-whiskered bulbul P. jocosus, native to southern and south-eastern Asia, which has brown upperparts, whitish underparts, an erect black crest, red cheek-patch and red vent.

Pycnonotus Boie 1826 B94 (see below for synonymy)
    |--+--+--P. atriceps JT12 [=*Brachypus atriceps B94]
    |  |  `--P. urostictus JT12
    |  |       |--P. u. urostictus L03
    |  |       `--P. u. atricaudatus Parkes 1867 L03
    |  `--+--P. eutilotus JT12 [incl. Pinarocichla euptilosae L03]
    |     `--P. melanoleucos JT12
    `--+--+--P. melanicterus BKB15
       |  |    |--P. m. melanicterus S02
       |  |    `--P. m. gularis S02
       |  `--+--P. erythropthalmos BKB15
       |     `--+--P. cyaniventris BKB15
       |        `--P. squamatus JT12
       `--+--Spizixos Blyth 1845 JT12, B94 [Spizixidae]
          |    |--S. canifrons JT12
          |    `--S. semitorques JT12
          |         |--S. s. semitorques L03
          |         `--S. s. cinereicapillus Swinhoe 1871 [=Spizixus cinereicapillus] L03
          `--+--+--P. finlaysoni Strickland 1844 BKB15, W66
             |  `--P. zeylanicus JT12
             `--+--+--P. simplex BKB15
                |  |    |--P. s. simplex L03
                |  |    `--P. s. prillwitzi Hartert 1902 L03
                |  `--+--P. brunneus JT12
                |     `--P. plumosus JT12
                `--+--P. flavescens BKB15
                   |    |--P. f. flavescens L03
                   |    `--P. f. leucops (Sharpe 1888) [=Oreoctistes leucops] L03
                   `--+--P. goiavier BKB15
                      `--+--+--P. jocosus BKB15
                         |  |    |--P. j. jocosus L81
                         |  |    |--P. j. emeria L81
                         |  |    |--P. j. pattani L81
                         |  |    `--P. j. whistleri L81
                         |  `--+--P. xanthorrhous BKB15 [=Ixus xanthorrhous S89]
                         |     |    |--P. x. xanthorrhous VP89
                         |     |    `--P. x. andersoni VP89
                         |     `--+--P. sinensis (Gmel. 1788) JT12, M01 [=Muscicapa sinensis M01, Ixus sinensis M01]
                         |        |    |--P. s. sinensis L03
                         |        |    |--P. s. formosae Hartert 1910 L03
                         |        |    `--P. s. orii Kuroda 1923 I92
                         |        `--P. taivanus JT12
                         `--+--P. cafer (Linnaeus 1766) BKB15, CC10 [=Turdus cafer CC10]
                            |    |--P. c. cafer CC10 [incl. P. c. vicinus Ripley 1946 L03]
                            |    |--P. c. bengalensis Blyth 1845 CC10
                            |    |--P. c. melanchimus Deignan 1949 L03
                            |    `--P. c. stanfordi Deignan 1949 L03
                            `--+--+--P. leucogenys (Gray 1835) BKB15, L03 (see below for synonymy)
                               |  `--P. xanthopygos BKB15
                               `--+--P. capensis BKB15
                                  `--+--P. barbatus (Desfontaines 1789) BKB15, U93 [=Ixos barbatus B94]
                                     |    |--P. b. barbatus L03
                                     |    |--P. b. dodsoni Sharpe 1895 [incl. P. dodsoni teitensis van Someren 1922] L03
                                     |    |--P. b. gabonensis Sharpe 1871 [incl. P. b. nigeriae Hartert 1921] L03
                                     |    `--P. b. schoanus Neumann 1905 L03
                                     `--P. nigricans JT12

Pycnonotus incertae sedis:
  P. atricapillus S89
  P. aurigaster JT12
    |--P. a. aurigaster L03
    `--P. a. latouchei Deignan 1949 L03
  P. bimaculatus JT12
  P. blanfordi JT12
  ‘Rubigula’ flaviventris [=Otocompsa flaviventris] S89
  P. haemorrhous W66
  P. hualon JT12
  P. leucogrammicus JT12
  P. leucotis (Gould 1836) JT12, L03 (see below for synonymy)
  P. luteolus JT12
  P. nieuwenhuisii JT12
  P. nigropileus Blyth 1847 W66
  P. penicillatus JT12
  P. priocephalus JT12
  P. pygaeus W66
  P. striatus JT12
  P. tympanistrigus JT12
  P. xantholaemus JT12

Pycnonotus Boie 1826 B94 [incl. Brachypus Swainson 1824 non Meyer 1814 B94, Oreoctistes Sharpe 1888 L03, Rubigula Blyth 1845 B94]

Pycnonotus leucogenys (Gray 1835) BKB15, L03 [incl. Molpastes leucogenys picru Koelz 1954 L03]

Pycnonotus leucotis (Gould 1836) JT12, L03 [=P. leucogenys leucotis L03; incl. Molpastes leucotis farahensis Koelz 1939 L03]

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[B94] Bock, W. J. 1994. History and nomenclature of avian family-group names. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 222: 1–281.

[BKB15] Burleigh, J. G., R. T. Kimball & E. L. Braun. 2015. Building the avian tree of life using a large-scale, sparse supermatrix. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 84: 53–63.

[CC10] Checklist Committee (OSNZ). 2010. Checklist of the Birds of New Zealand, Norfolk and Macquarie Islands, and the Ross Dependency, Antarctica 4^th ed. Ornithological Society of New Zealand and Te Papa Press: Wellington.

[I92] Iwahashi, J. (ed.) 1992. Reddo Deeta Animaruzu: a pictorial of Japanese fauna facing extinction. JICC: Tokyo.

[JT12] Jetz, W., G. H. Thomas, J. B. Joy, K. Hartmann & A. Ø. Mooers. 2012. The global diversity of birds in space and time. Nature 491: 444–448.

[L03] LeCroy, M. 2003. Type specimens of birds in the American Museum of Natural History. Part 5. Passeriformes: Alaudidae, Hirundinidae, Motacillidae, Campephagidae, Pycnonotidae, Irenidae, Laniidae, Vangidae, Bombycillidae, Dulidae, Cinclidae, Troglodytidae, and Mimidae. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 278: 1–156.

[L81] Long, J. L. 1981. Introduced Birds of the World: The worldwide history, distribution and influence of birds introduced to new environments. Reed: Sydney.

[M01] Madarász, J. 1901. Madarak [Vögel]. In: Horváth, G. (ed.) Zichy Jenő Gróf Harmadik Ázsiai Utazása [Dritte Asiatische Forschungsreise des Grafen Eugen Zichy] vol. 2. Zichy Jenő Gróf Harmadik Ázsiai Utazásának Állattani Eredményei [Zoologische Ergebnisse der Dritten Asiatischen Forschungsreise des Grafen Eugen Zichy] pp. 21–39. Victor Hornyánszky: Budapest, and Karl W. Hierseman: Leipzig.

[S89] Salvadori, T. 1889. Viaggio di Leonardo Fea nella Birmania e nelle regioni vicine. XIX.—Uccelli raccolti nei Monti Carin a nord-est di Tounghoo, nel Pegù presso Rangoon e Tounghoo e nel Tenasserim presso Malewoon. Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Genova, Serie 2^a, 7: 369–438.

[S02] Santharam, V. 2002. Fruit and nectar resources in a moist deciduous forest and their use by birds—a preliminary report. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 99 (3): 537–543.

[U93] Unwin, D. M. 1993. Aves. In: Benton, M. J. (ed.) The Fossil Record 2 pp. 717–737. Chapman & Hall: London.

[VP89] Viney, C., & K. Phillipps. 1989. Birds of Hong Kong 5^th ed. Government Printer: Hong Kong.

[W66] Walden, A. 1866. Notes on birds collected in Tennasserim and in the Andaman Islands. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1866: 537–556.

Last updated: 15 July 2019.

Petrochelidon

American cliff swallows Petrochelidon pyrrhonota, copyright Mark Watson.

Belongs within: Hirundinidae.

Petrochelidon, the cliff swallows, is a genus of swallows that nest colonially, building nests from mud cemented to surfaces such as cliffs, building walls or inside tree hollows. Members include the tree martin P. nigricans of eastern Indonesia, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Australia, which has a metallic blue crown and back, brown wings and tail, and whitish underparts.

<==Petrochelidon Cabanis 1850 [incl. Hylochelidon Gould 1865] CC10
    |  i. s.: P. albifrons L81
    |         P. andecola L03
    |           |--P. a. andecola L03
    |           `--P. a. oroyae Chapman 1924 L03
    |         P. lunifrons S18
    |           |--P. l. lunifrons S18
    |           `--P. l. tachina S18
    |--+--+--P. fulva BKB15 [=Hirundo fulva JF06]
    |  |  `--P. pyrrhonota (Vieillot 1817) JT12, L03 (see below for synonymy)
    |  `--+--P. preussi BKB15 [=Hirundo preussi JT12]
    |     `--P. rufigula JF06 [=Hirundo rufigula JT12]
    `--+--P. spilodera BKB15 [=Hirundo spilodera JT12]
       `--+--P. ariel (Gould 1842) CC10 (see below for synonymy)
          `--+--P. fluvicola JF06 [=Hirundo fluvicola JT12]
             `--P. nigricans (Vieillot 1817) CC10 (see below for synonymy)
                  |--P. n. nigricans CC10
                  |--P. n. neglecta Mathews 1912 (see below for synonymy) L03
                  `--P. n. timoriensis CC10 [=Hirundo nigricans timoriensis J06]

Petrochelidon ariel (Gould 1842) CC10 [=Collocalia ariel CC10, Hirundo ariel JT12, Hylochelidon ariel WS48; incl. P. ariel conigravi Mathews 1912 L03]

Petrochelidon nigricans (Vieillot 1817) CC10 [=Hirundo nigricans JT12, *Hylochelidon nigricans CC10, Petrochelida (l. c.) nigricans CC10]

Petrochelidon nigricans neglecta Mathews 1912 [incl. P. nigricans caleyi Mathews 1913, P. cayleyi, P. nigricans distinguenda Mathews 1912, Hirundo pyrrhonota Vigors & Horsfield 1827 non Vieillot 1817, P. nigricans rogersi Mathews 1912, P. nigricans socialis Stresemann 1923] L03

Petrochelidon pyrrhonota (Vieillot 1817) JT12, L03 [=Hirundo pyrrhonota JF06; incl. H. melanogaster CC10, *Petrochelidon melanogaster CC10]

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[BKB15] Burleigh, J. G., R. T. Kimball & E. L. Braun. 2015. Building the avian tree of life using a large-scale, sparse supermatrix. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 84: 53–63.

[CC10] Checklist Committee (OSNZ). 2010. Checklist of the Birds of New Zealand, Norfolk and Macquarie Islands, and the Ross Dependency, Antarctica 4^th ed. Ornithological Society of New Zealand and Te Papa Press: Wellington.

[JT12] Jetz, W., G. H. Thomas, J. B. Joy, K. Hartmann & A. Ø. Mooers. 2012. The global diversity of birds in space and time. Nature 491: 444–448.

[J06] Johnstone, R. E. 2006. The birds of Gag Island, Western Papuan islands, Indonesia. Records of the Western Australian Museum 23 (2): 115–132.

[JF06] Jønsson, K. A., & J. Fjeldså. 2006. A phylogenetic supertree of oscine passerine birds. Zoologica Scripta 35: 149–186.

[L03] LeCroy, M. 2003. Type specimens of birds in the American Museum of Natural History. Part 5. Passeriformes: Alaudidae, Hirundinidae, Motacillidae, Campephagidae, Pycnonotidae, Irenidae, Laniidae, Vangidae, Bombycillidae, Dulidae, Cinclidae, Troglodytidae, and Mimidae. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 278: 1–156.

[L81] Long, J. L. 1981. Introduced Birds of the World: The worldwide history, distribution and influence of birds introduced to new environments. Reed: Sydney.

[S18] Stone, W. 1918. Birds of the Panama Canal Zone, with special reference to a collection made by Mr. Lindsey L. Jewel. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 70: 239–280.

[WS48] Whittell, H. M., & D. L. Serventy. 1948. A systematic list of the birds of Western Australia. Public Library, Museum and Art Gallery of Western Australia, Special Publication 1: 1–126.

Last updated: 15 July 2019.

Porphyrio

American purple gallinule Porphyrio martinica, copyright Carmelo López.

Belongs within: Rallidae.

Porphyrio, the swamphens or gallinules, are a group of relatively large, heavy-bodied rails with generally blue or purple underparts and a well-developed frontal shield. The frontal shield is a bright red in Old World species related to the purple swamphen P. porphyrio but pale blue in the American purple gallinule P. martinica and greenish-yellow in the azure gallinule P. flavirostris of South America.

<==Porphyrio Brisson 1760 [incl. Caesarornis Reichenbach 1853, Mantellornis Mathews 1911, Notornis Owen 1848] CC10
    |  i. s.: P. calvus [incl. P. smaragdinus] S13
    |           |--P. c. calvus S13
    |           `--P. c. caledonicus Sarasin 1913 S13
    |         P. coerulescens HSS13
    |         P. paepae Steadman 1988 L98
    |--+--P. alleni Thompson 1842 G-RGT14
    |  |--P. flavirostris (Gmelin 1789) JT12, G-RGT14 [=Fulica flavirostris G-RGT14]
    |  `--P. martinica (Linnaeus 1766) [=Fulica martinica] G-RGT14
    `--+--+--P. hochstetteri (Meyer 1883) JT12, CC10 (see below for synonymy)
       |  `--P. kukwiedei Balouet & Olson 1989 [=P. (Notornis) kukwiedei] L98
       `--+--P. indicus Horsfield 1821 L98 [=P. poliocephalus indicus RN72; incl. P. palliatus L98]
          `--+--P. pulverulentus Temminck 1826 L98
             `--+--+--P. madagascariensis (Latham 1801) [incl. P. aegyptiacus] L98
                |  `--+--*P. porphyrio (Linnaeus 1758) CC10, JT12, CC10 [=Fulica porphyrio CC10]
                |     `--P. poliocephalus (Latham 1801) L98 (see below for synonymy)
                `--+--+--P. ellioti Salvadori 1879 [incl. P. caledonicus, P. neobritanicus] L98
                   |  `--P. viridis Begbie 1834 [incl. P. edwardsi] L98
                   `--+--P. albus (White 1790) L98 [=Fulica alba G-RGT14]
                      `--+--P. mantelli (Owen 1848) WH02 [=*Notornis mantelli CC10]
                         `--P. melanotus Temminck 1820 [=P. melanonotus; incl. P. norfolkensis] L98
                              |--P. m. melanotus (see below for synonymy) CC10
                              |--P. ‘samoensis’ aneiteumensis S13
                              |--P. m. bellus Gould 1840 CC10 (see below for synonymy)
                              |--P. m. melanopterus Bonaparte 1856 CC10, L98 [incl. P. mertoni L98]
                              |--P. m. pelewensis CC10
                              `--P. m samoensis Peale 1848 CC10, L98 [incl. P. tongensis L98, P. vitiensis L98]

Inorganic: Notornis notornis minilorientalis Okamura 1987 O87

Porphyrio hochstetteri (Meyer 1883) JT12, CC10 [=Notornis hochstetteri CC10, *Mantellornis hochstetteri CC10, Porphyrio mantelli hochstetteri CC10; incl. Notornis parkeri Forbes 1892 CC10]

Porphyrio melanotus bellus Gould 1840 CC10 [=P. poliocephalus bellus RN72, P. porphyrio bellus WS48; incl. P. melanotus woodwardi Mathews 1912 WS48]

Porphyrio melanotus melanotus Temminck 1820 [=P. porphyrio melanotus; incl. P. chathamensis Sharpe 1893, P. melanotus chathamensis, P. melanotus fletcherae Mathews 1911, P. melanotus neomelanotus Mathews 1911, P. stanleyi Rowley 1875, P. melanotus stanleyi] CC10

Porphyrio poliocephalus (Latham 1801) L98 [=Gallinula poliocephala CC10, *Caesarornis poliocephalus CC10, Porphyrio porphyrio poliocephalus L81; incl. P. seistanicus L98]

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[CC10] Checklist Committee (OSNZ). 2010. Checklist of the Birds of New Zealand, Norfolk and Macquarie Islands, and the Ross Dependency, Antarctica 4^th ed. Ornithological Society of New Zealand and Te Papa Press: Wellington.

[G-RGT14] Garcia-R, J. C., G. C. Gibb & S. A. Trewick. 2014. Deep global evolutionary radiation in birds: diversification and trait evolution in the cosmopolitan bird family Rallidae. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 81: 96–108.

[HSS13] Hirschfeld, E., A. Swash & R. Still. 2013. The World's Rarest Birds. Princeton University Press: Princeton (New Jersey).

[JT12] Jetz, W., G. H. Thomas, J. B. Joy, K. Hartmann & A. Ø. Mooers. 2012. The global diversity of birds in space and time. Nature 491: 444–448.

[L98] Livezey, B. C. 1998. A phylogenetic analysis of the Gruiformes (Aves) based on morphological characters, with an emphasis on the rails (Rallidae). Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London Series B—Biological Sciences 353: 2077–2151.

[L81] Long, J. L. 1981. Introduced Birds of the World: The worldwide history, distribution and influence of birds introduced to new environments. Reed: Sydney.

[O87] Okamura, C. 1987. New facts: Homo and all Vertebrata were born simultaneously in the former Paleozoic in Japan. Original Report of the Okamura Fossil Laboratory 15: 347–573.

[RN72] Rutgers, A., & K. A. Norris (eds) 1972. Encyclopaedia of Aviculture vol. 1. London, Blandford Press.

[S13] Sarasin, F. 1913. Die Vögel Neu-Caledoniens und der Loyalty-Inseln. In: Sarasin, F., & J. Roux (eds) Nova Caledonia: Forschungen in Neu-Caledonian und auf den Loyalty-Inseln. A. Zoologie vol. 1 pt 1 pp. 1–78, pls 1–3. C. W. Kreidels Verlag: Wiesbaden.

[WS48] Whittell, H. M., & D. L. Serventy. 1948. A systematic list of the birds of Western Australia. Public Library, Museum and Art Gallery of Western Australia, Special Publication 1: 1–126.

[WH02] Worthy, T. H., & R. N. Holdaway. 2002. The Lost World of the Moa: Prehistoric life of New Zealand. Indiana University Press: Bloomington (Indiana).

Last updated: 20 August 2019.