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Monarchinae
The monarchs (family Monarchidae) comprise a family of over 100 passerine birds which includes shrikebills, paradise flycatchers, and magpie-larks. Monarchids are small insectivorous songbirds with long tails. They inhabit forest or woodland across sub-Saharan Africa, south-east Asia, Australasia and a number of Pacific islands. Only a few species migrate. Many species decorate their cup-shaped nests with lichen. Taxonomy and systematics Some of the one hundred or more species making up the family were previously assigned to other groups, largely on the basis of general morphology or behaviour. The magpie-lark, for example, was assigned to the same family as the white-winged chough, since both build unusual nests from mud rather than vegetable matter. That family, Grallinidae, is now considered a synonym of Monarchidae. It was formerly considered to have four species. The magpie-lark and the torrent-lark were moved into Monarchidae, into the genus ''Grallina'', on the basis of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Terpsiphone
The paradise flycatchers (''Terpsiphone'') are a genus of birds in the family Monarchidae. The genus ranges across Africa and Asia, as well as a number of islands. A few species are migratory, but the majority are resident. The most telling characteristic of the genus is the long tail streamers of the males of many species. In addition to the long tails the males and females are sexually dimorphic and have rufous, black and white plumage. Taxonomy and systematics The genus ''Terpsiphone'' was introduced by the German zoologist Constantin Gloger in 1827. The type species was subsequently designated as the Indian paradise flycatcher. The name is from the Ancient Greek ''terpsi '' "delighting in" and ''phonos'' "voice". The genus contains 17 species: *Bedford's paradise flycatcher (''Terpsiphone bedfordi'') *Rufous-vented paradise flycatcher (''Terpsiphone rufocinerea'') *Red-bellied paradise flycatcher (''Terpsiphone rufiventer'') *Annobón paradise flycatcher (''Terpsiphone smi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paradise Flycatcher
The paradise flycatchers (''Terpsiphone'') are a genus of birds in the family Monarchidae. The genus ranges across Africa and Asia, as well as a number of islands. A few species are migratory, but the majority are resident. The most telling characteristic of the genus is the long tail streamers of the males of many species. In addition to the long tails the males and females are sexually dimorphic and have rufous, black and white plumage. Taxonomy and systematics The genus ''Terpsiphone'' was introduced by the German zoologist Constantin Gloger in 1827. The type species was subsequently designated as the Indian paradise flycatcher. The name is from the Ancient Greek ''terpsi '' "delighting in" and ''phonos'' "voice". The genus contains 17 species: *Bedford's paradise flycatcher (''Terpsiphone bedfordi'') *Rufous-vented paradise flycatcher (''Terpsiphone rufocinerea'') *Red-bellied paradise flycatcher (''Terpsiphone rufiventer'') *Annobón paradise flycatcher (''Terpsiphone smi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grallina
''Grallina'' is a genus of passerine bird native to Australia and New Guinea. It is a member of a group of birds termed monarch flycatchers. Taxonomy Higher taxonomy Long thought to be a member of the mudnest builder family Corcoracidae, the magpie-lark and torrent lark have been reclassified in the family Monarchidae (the monarch flycatchers). The two make up a lineage that split off early from other monarchs and has no close relatives within the family. The monarch flycatchers are considered either as a subfamily Monarchinae, together with the fantails as part of the drongo family Dicruridae, or as a family Monarchidae in its own right. More broadly, they belong to the Corvida parvorder comprising many tropical and Australian passerines including pardalotes, fairy-wrens and honeyeaters as well as crows. Species Two species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Drongo
The drongos are a family, Dicruridae, of passerine birds of the Old World tropics. The 30 species in the family are placed in a single genus, ''Dicrurus''. Drongos are mostly black or dark grey, short-legged birds, with an upright stance when perched. They have forked tails and some have elaborate tail decorations. They feed on insects and small birds, which they catch in flight or on the ground. Some species are accomplished mimics and have a variety of alarm calls, to which other birds and animals often respond. They are known to utter hoax alarm calls that scare other animals off food, which the drongo then claims. Taxonomy The genus ''Dicrurus'' was introduced by French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot for the drongos in 1816. The type species was subsequently designated as the balicassiao (''Dicrurus balicassius'') by English zoologist George Robert Gray in 1841. The name of the genus combines the Ancient Greek words ''dikros'' "forked" and ''oura'' "tail". "Drongo" i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Asian Paradise Flycatcher (Terpsiphone Paradisi)- Male W IMG 9283
In 2015, the Asian paradise flycatcher was split into the following three species: * Indian paradise flycatcher (''Terpsiphone paradisi'') * Blyth's paradise flycatcher (''Terpsiphone affinis'') * Amur paradise flycatcher The Amur paradise flycatcher (''Terpsiphone incei'') is a bird species in the family Monarchidae. It is native to China, Manchuria and Primorsky Krai in the Russian Far East. It is a winter migrant to Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also s ... (''Terpsiphone incei'') References {{Reflist Birds by common name ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fantail
Fantails are small insectivorous songbirds of the genus ''Rhipidura'' in the family Rhipiduridae, native to Australasia, Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Most of the species are about long, specialist aerial feeders, and named as "fantails", but the Australian willie wagtail is a little larger, and, though still an expert hunter of insects on the wing, concentrates equally on terrestrial prey. The true wagtails are part of the genus '' Motacilla'' in the family Motacillidae and are not close relatives of the fantails. Description The fantails are small bodied (11.5–21 cm long) birds with long tails; in some species the tail is longer than the body and in most the tail is longer than the wing.Boles, W.E. (2006). Family Rhipiduridae (Fantails). Pp 200-244 in: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. & Christie, D.A. eds (2006) ''Handbook of the Birds of the World''. Vol. 11. Old World Flycatchers to Old World Warblers. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. When the tail is folded it is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paraphyly
In taxonomy, a group is paraphyletic if it consists of the group's last common ancestor and most of its descendants, excluding a few monophyletic subgroups. The group is said to be paraphyletic ''with respect to'' the excluded subgroups. In contrast, a monophyletic group (a clade) includes a common ancestor and ''all'' of its descendants. The terms are commonly used in phylogenetics (a subfield of biology) and in the tree model of historical linguistics. Paraphyletic groups are identified by a combination of synapomorphies and symplesiomorphies. If many subgroups are missing from the named group, it is said to be polyparaphyletic. The term was coined by Willi Hennig to apply to well-known taxa like Reptilia ( reptiles) which, as commonly named and traditionally defined, is paraphyletic with respect to mammals and birds. Reptilia contains the last common ancestor of reptiles and all descendants of that ancestor, including all extant reptiles as well as the extinct synapsids, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hawking (birds)
Hawking is a feeding strategy in birds involving catching flying insects in the air. The term usually refers to a technique of sallying out from a perch to snatch an insect and then returning to the same or a different perch, though it also applies to birds that spend almost their entire lives on the wing. This technique is called "flycatching" and some birds known for it are several families of "flycatchers": Old World flycatchers, monarch flycatchers, and tyrant flycatchers. Other birds, such as swifts, swallows, and nightjars, also take insects on the wing in continuous aerial feeding. The term "hawking" comes from the similarity of this behavior to the way hawks take prey in flight, although, whereas raptors may catch prey with their feet, hawking is the behavior of catching insects in the bill. Many birds have a combined strategy of both hawking insects and gleaning them from foliage. Flycatching The various methods of taking insects have been categorized as: gleaning (per ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mascarene Paradise Flycatcher
The Mascarene paradise flycatcher (''Terpsiphone bourbonnensis'') is a species of bird in the monarch-flycatcher family Monarchidae. It is endemic to the Mascarene islands of Mauritius and Réunion. There are two subspecies recognized: the nominate subspecies from Réunion, also known as the Réunion paradise flycatcher; and ''T. b. desolata'' ( Salomonsen, 1933) from Mauritius. The Mascarene paradise flycatcher was originally described in the genus ''Muscicapa'' and the subspecies ''T. b. desolata'' was originally described as a separate species. Description The Mascarene paradise flycatcher lacks the long tail shared by many members of the paradise flycatcher genus ''Terpsiphone'', and measures in length. The male has a black head with a grey neck-band, throat, breast and belly. The upperparts and tail are chestnut, and the wings are tipped black. The bill is bright blue, and the legs greyish. The female is smaller than the male, with a paler bill and a dark-grey head. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hypothymis
''Hypothymis'' is a genus of birds in the family Monarchidae. The genus was introduced by the German zoologist Friedrich Boie in 1826 with the black-naped monarch (''Hypothymis azurea'') as the type species. The word ''Hypothymis '' is from the Ancient Greek ''hupothumis'', the name of an unidentified bird mentioned by the playwright Aristophanes. The genus contains four species: * Black-naped monarch (''Hypothymis azurea'') * Pale-blue monarch (''Hypothymis puella'') * Short-crested monarch (''Hypothymis helenae'') * Celestial monarch The celestial monarch (''Hypothymis coelestis'') is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae, and one of the most attractive of all the monarch flycatchers, with its spectacular blue crest and large greenish-yellow wattle. It is endemic to ... (''Hypothymis coelestis'') References Bird genera Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Monarchidae-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Trochocercus
''Trochocercus'' is a genus of bird in the family Monarchidae. Described by Jean Cabanis in 1850, the name ''Trochocercus'' is a combination of the Greek words ''trokhos'' meaning "circular" or "round" and ''kerkos'', meaning "tail". Taxonomy and systematics Extant species After three former species were transferred to the genus ''Elminia'' in 2009, the genus ''Trochocercus'' now contains the following two remaining species: Former species Formerly, some authorities also considered the following species (or subspecies) as species within the genus ''Trochocercus'': * Bedford's paradise flycatcher (as ''Trochocercus bedfordi'') * Dusky crested flycatcher (as ''Trochocercus nigromitratus'') * White-bellied crested flycatcher (as ''Trochocercus albiventris'') * White-tailed crested flycatcher The white-tailed crested flycatcher (''Elminia albonotata'') is a species of bird in the flycatcher family Stenostiridae. It has a discontinuous distribution in eastern Africa. There are thr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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