| New Zealand wattlebirds | |
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| Huia (Heteralocha acutirostris) | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Superfamily: | Corvoidea |
| Family: | Callaeidae Sundevall, 1836 |
| Genera | |
Callaeidae (sometimesCallaeatidae) is a family ofpasserinebirdsendemic toNew Zealand. It contains three genera, with five species in the family. One species, thehuia, became extinct early in the 20th century, while theSouth Island kōkako is critically endangered and may be extinct.
Although sometimes known aswattled crows, they are notcorvids and are only distantly related to crows -New Zealand wattlebirds is the informal name for this family used by the scientific community.[1]
They are ground-dwelling songbirds, 26–38 cm in length. They inhabit dense forests, where they feed on insects. They have strong legs and featherlesswattles behind the bill. Their wings are rounded and unusually weak, giving them very limited powers of flight. They aremonogamous and maintain permanent territories.[2]
These birds seem to be remnants of an early expansion ofpasserines to New Zealand. Their only close relative is thestitchbird.[3]
The phylogenetic relationships between the species shown below is based on a study published in 2022. TheSouth Island saddleback (Philesturnus carunculatus) was not sampled.[4]
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Authority control databases: National |
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