Editing Songbird (section)

==Taxonomy and systematics==
[[Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy|Sibley and Alquist]] divided songbirds into two "[[parvorder]]s", [[Corvida]] and [[Passerida]] (standard [[Taxonomy (biology)|taxonomic]] practice would rank these as [[infraorder]]s), distributed in [[Australasian realm|Australo-Papua]] and [[Eurasia]] respectively.<ref name=selvatti2015>Selvatti, A.P. ''et al''. (2015) [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1055790315000810#b0175 A Paleogene origin for crown passerines and the diversification of the Oscines in the New World]. ''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution'', 88:1-15.</ref> Subsequent molecular studies, however, show this treatment to be somewhat erroneous. Passerida is a highly diverse lineage, uniting over one-third of all bird species to include (in 2015) 3,885 species<ref name="autogenerated1"/>). These are divided into three major [[Superfamily (zoology)|superfamilies]] (though not exactly corresponding to the Sibley-Ahlquist arrangement), in addition to some minor lineages.

In contrast, Sibley & Alquist's "Corvida" is a phylogenetic [[Evolutionary grade|grade]] and an artefact of the [[phenetic]] methodology. The bulk of the "Corvida" make up the large clade [[Corvides]] (812 species as of 2015<ref name="autogenerated1"/>), which is a [[sister group]] to the Passerida. The remaining 15 oscine families (343 species in 2015<ref name="autogenerated1"/>) form a series of [[basal (evolution)|basally]] branching sister groups to the Corvoid - Passerid clade.<ref>Harshman, John. (2006). Oscines. ''Songbirds.'' Version 31 July 2006 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Oscines/29222/2006.07.31 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200919165513/http://tolweb.org/Oscines/29222/2006.07.31 |date=2020-09-19 }} in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/</ref> All of these groups, which form at least six successively branching basal clades, are found exclusively or predominantly in Australasia. Australian endemics are also prominent among basal lineages in both Corvoids and Passerids, suggesting that songbirds originated and diverged in Australia.<ref name=Low/>

Scrubbirds and lyrebirds, of which there are just two species of each, represent the oldest lineage of songbirds on Earth. The [[rufous scrubbird]], ''Atrichornis rufescens'', is essentially confined to the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area, occurring in both Queensland and New South Wales sections. It is now only found at elevations above {{convert|600|m|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref>[https://theconversation.com/how-songbirds-island-hopped-their-way-from-australia-to-colonise-the-world-64616 Chris Cooney, "How songbirds island-hopped their way from Australia to colonise the world", ''The Conversation,'' August 31, 2016.]</ref>

One of the earliest known fossil songbirds is ''[[Resoviaornis]]'' from the [[Rupelian|Early Oligocene]] of Poland.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Lowi-Merri |first=Talia M. |last2=Gjevori |first2=Martina |last3=Bochenski |first3=Zbigniew M. |last4=Wertz |first4=Krzysztof |last5=Claramunt |first5=Santiago |date=2024-12-31 |title=Total-evidence dating and the phylogenetic affinities of early fossil passerines |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14772019.2024.2356086 |journal=Journal of Systematic Palaeontology |language=en |volume=22 |issue=1 |doi=10.1080/14772019.2024.2356086 |issn=1477-2019|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

===Families===
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* Menuroidea
** [[Lyrebird|Menuridae]]: [[lyrebird]]s
** [[Atrichornithidae]]: [[scrub bird]]s
* Bowerbirds and Australian treecreepers
** [[Climacteridae]]: Australian [[treecreeper]]s
** [[Ptilonorhynchidae]]: [[bowerbird]]s
* Meliphagoidea: honeyeaters and allies
** [[Maluridae]]: [[fairy-wren]]s, [[emu-wren]]s and [[grasswren]]s
** [[Meliphagidae]]: true [[honeyeater]]s and chats
** [[Dasyornithidae]]: [[bristlebirds]]
** [[Pardalotidae]]: [[pardalote]]s
** [[Acanthizidae]]: [[scrubwrens]], [[Acanthiza|thornbill]]s, and [[gerygone]]s
* Australopapuan babblers
** [[Pomatostomidae]]: Australasian [[Australo-Papuan babbler|babbler]]s
* Logrunners
** [[Orthonychidae]]: [[logrunner]]s
* Other basal lineages
** [[Cnemophilidae]]: satinbirds ''[[Cnemophilus]]'' and ''[[Loboparadisea]]''
** [[Melanocharitidae]]: [[Melanocharitidae|berrypeckers]] and longbills
** [[Callaeidae]]: New Zealand wattlebirds [[kōkako]], [[Saddleback (bird)|saddleback]] and †[[huia]]
** [[Notiomystidae]]: [[stitchbird]]
* [[Corvides]]
** [[Paramythiidae]]: [[tit berrypecker]]s and [[crested berrypecker]]s
** [[Psophodidae]]: [[whipbird]]s, jewel-babblers and quail-thrushes
** [[Platysteiridae]]: [[wattle-eye]]s and [[Batis (bird)|batis]]
** Malaconotidae: [[bush-shrike]]s
** Machaerirynchidae: [[Machaerirhynchus|boatbills]]
** [[Vangidae]]: vangas, woodshrikes, and helmetshrikes
** [[Pityriasidae]]: [[Bornean bristlehead]]
** [[Artamidae]]: [[butcherbird]]s, [[currawong]]s and [[Australian magpie]] (formerly in Cracticidae)
** [[Rhagologidae]]: mottled whistlers
** [[Aegithinidae]]: [[iora]]s
** [[Campephagidae]]: [[cuckooshrike]]s and trillers
** [[Mohouidae]]: whiteheads
** [[Neosittidae]]: [[sittella]]s
** [[Eulacestomidae]]: ploughbills
** [[Oreoicidae]]: Australo-Papuan bellbirds
** [[Pachycephalidae]]: [[Whistler (bird)|whistlers]], [[shrike-thrush]]es, [[pitohui]]s and allies
** [[Laniidae]]: [[shrike]]s
** [[Vireonidae]]: [[vireo]]s
** [[Oriolidae]]: [[Oriolus|orioles]], [[figbird]]s and †[[Piopio (bird)|piopio]] (formerly Turnagridae)
** [[Dicruridae]]: [[drongo]]s
** [[Rhipiduridae]]: [[fantail]]s
** [[Monarchidae]]: [[Monarch flycatcher|monarch]]s and allies
** [[Platylophidae]]: [[jayshrike]]s
** [[Corvidae]]: [[Corvus (genus)|crow]]s, [[magpie]]s, and [[jay]]s
** [[Corcoracidae]]: [[white-winged chough]] and [[apostlebird]]
** [[Melampittidae]]: melampittas
** [[Ifritidae]]: ifritabirds
** [[bird-of-paradise|Paradisaeidae]]: [[Bird-of-paradise|birds of paradise]]
* [[Passerida]]
** [[Petroicidae]]: [[Australasian robin]]s
** [[Picathartidae]]: [[rockfowl]]
** [[Chaetopidae]]: [[rockjumper]]s
** [[Eupetidae]]: rail-babbler
** [[Bombycillidae]]: [[waxwing]]s and allies
** [[Ptiliogonatidae]]: silky-flycatchers
** [[Hypocoliidae]]: [[hypocolius]]
** [[Dulidae]]: palmchat
** † [[Mohoidae]]: some Hawaiian honeyeaters, ''[[Moho (genus)|Moho]]'' and ''[[Kioea|Chaetoptila]]'' genera, not closely related to [[Meliphagidae]]
** [[Hylocitreidae]]: [[hylocitrea]]
** [[Stenostiridae]]: fairy-flycatcher and allies
** [[Paridae]]: [[tit (bird)|tits]], [[chickadee]]s, and [[titmice|titmouse]]
** [[Remizidae]]: penduline-tits
** [[Nicatoridae]]: [[nicator]]s
** [[Panuridae]]: bearded reedling
** [[Alaudidae]]: [[lark]]s
** [[bulbul|Pycnonotidae]]: [[bulbul]]s
** [[Hirundinidae]]: [[swallow]]s and [[Martin (bird)|martins]]
** [[Pnoepygidae]]: [[Pnoepyga|wren-babblers]]
** [[Macrosphenidae]]: [[crombec]]s and African warblers
** [[Cettiidae]]: bush-warblers and allies
** [[Scotocercidae]]: [[streaked scrub-warbler]]
** [[Erythrocercidae]]: [[yellow flycatcher]]s
** [[Aegithalidae]]: [[long-tailed tit]]s
** [[Phylloscopidae]]: leaf-warblers and allies. Recently split from Sylviidae.
** [[Acrocephalidae]]: [[reed warbler]]s and allies
** [[Locustellidae]]: [[Locustellidae|grassbird]]s and allies
** [[Donacobiidae]]: [[black-capped donacobius]]
** [[Bernieridae]]: [[Malagasy warbler]]s
** [[Cisticolidae]]: [[cisticola]]s and allies
** [[Timaliidae]]: [[Australo-Papuan babbler|babbler]]s
** [[Pellorneidae]]: ground babblers
** [[Leiothrichidae]]: laughingthrushes and allies
** [[Sylviidae]]: [[Old World warbler]]s
** [[White-eye|Zosteropidae]]: [[white-eye]]s
** [[Arcanatoridae]]: [[dapple-throat]] and allies
** [[Promeropidae]]: [[sugarbird]]s
** [[Irenidae]]: [[fairy-bluebird]]s
** [[Regulidae]]: [[kinglet]]s
** [[Elachuridae]]: elachuras
** [[Hyliotidae]]: [[hyliota]]s
** [[Troglodytidae]]: [[wren]]s
** [[Polioptilidae]]: [[gnatcatcher]]s
** [[Sittidae]]: [[nuthatch]]es
** [[Tichodromidae]]: [[wallcreeper]]
** [[Certhiidae]]: [[treecreeper]]s
** [[Mimidae]]: [[mockingbird]]s and [[thrasher]]s
** [[Sturnidae]]: [[starling]]s
** [[Buphagidae]]: [[oxpecker]]s
** [[Turdidae]]: [[Thrush (bird)|thrush]]es and allies
** [[Muscicapidae]]: [[Old World flycatcher]]s and [[Chat (bird)|chats]]
** [[Cinclidae]]: [[dipper]]s
** [[Chloropseidae]]: [[leafbird]]s
** [[Dicaeidae]]: [[flowerpecker]]s
** [[Nectariniidae]]: [[sunbird]]s
** [[Old World sparrow|Passeridae]]: true [[Old World sparrow|sparrow]]s
** [[Ploceidae]]: weavers and [[widowbird]]s
** [[Estrildid finch|Estrildidae]]: estrildid finches ([[waxbill]]s, [[munia]]s, etc.)
** [[Viduidae]]: [[indigo bird]]s and [[Viduidae|whydahs]]
** [[Peucedramidae]]: [[olive warbler]]
** [[Prunellidae]]: [[accentor]]
** [[Motacillidae]]: [[wagtail]]s and [[pipit]]s
** [[Urocynchramidae]]: [[Przevalski's finch]]
** [[Fringillidae]]: true [[finch]]es and [[Hawaiian honeycreeper]]s (formerly Drepanididae)
** [[Parulidae]]: New World [[warbler]]s, for example the [[black-throated blue warbler]]s and allies
** [[Icteridae]]: American [[icterid|blackbirds]], [[New World oriole]]s, [[grackle]]s and [[cowbird]]s.
** [[Coerebidae]]: [[bananaquit]]
** [[Emberizidae]]: [[Emberiza|buntings]]
**[[Passerellidae]]: [[New World sparrow]]s
** [[Thraupidae]]: [[tanager]]s, true [[honeycreepers]] and allies
** [[Calcariidae]]: [[snow bunting]]s and [[longspur]]s
** [[Cardinalidae]]: cardinals and allies
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