| Locustellidae | |
|---|---|
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| Striated grassbird (Megalurus palustris) | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Superfamily: | Locustelloidea |
| Family: | Locustellidae Bonaparte, 1854 |
| Genera | |
see text | |
| Synonyms | |
MegaluridaeBlyth, 1875 | |
Locustellidae is a recently recognisedfamily of smallinsectivoroussongbirds ("warblers"), formerly placed in theOld World warbler "wastebin"family. It contains thegrasshopper warblers, grassbirds, and theBradypterus "bush warblers". These birds occur mainly inEurasia,Africa, and theAustralian region. The family name is sometimes given as Megaluridae, but Locustellidae has priority.[1][2]
The name derives from thetype genus nameLocustella, which is fromLatin and is a diminutive oflocusta, "grasshopper".[3] Like the English namegrasshopper warbler, this refers to the insect-like song of many species ofLocustella, most notably thecommon grasshopper warblerLocustella naevia.[4]
Thespecies are smallish birds with tails that are usually long and pointed; thescientific name of thegenusMegalurus in fact means "the large-tailed one" in plain English. They are lesswren-like than the typical shrub-warblers (Cettia), but they are similarly drab brownish or buffy all over. They tend to be larger and slimmer thanCettia though, and many have bold dark streaks on wings and/or underside. Most live in scrubland and frequently hunt food by clambering through thick tangled growth or pursuing it on the ground; they are perhaps the mostterrestrial of the "warblers". Very unusual forPasseriformes, the beginning of anevolution towardsflightlessness is seen in sometaxa.[5]
Among the "warbler andbabbler"superfamilySylvioidea, the Locustellidae are closest to theMalagasy warblers, another recently recognised (and hitherto unnamed) family. Theblack-capped donacobius (Donacobius atricapillus) is aSouth American relative derived from the same ancestral stock and not a wren as was long believed.[6]
A comprehensivemolecular phylogenetic study of the grassbird family Locustellidae published in 2018 found that many of the genera, as then defined, were non-monophyletic. The resulting revision of the genus level taxonomy involved many changes including the resurrection of the generaPoodytes andCincloramphus as well as the description of a new genusHelopsaltes. The former generaMegalurulus andBuettikoferella becomejunior synonyms ofCincloramphus.[2][7]
The family contains 67 species divided into 11 genera.[7]
The relationships between the genera is shown in the following cladogram. It is based on a 2018 study byPer Alström and coworkers.[2]
| Locustellidae |
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