MELIPHAGOIDEA
The Meliphagoidea is a group of birds which evolved in ancient Australia and is still predominantly found within the region. A few species have spread westwards through the Indonesian archipelago (with one species even occuring on the mainland of southeast Asia), and others have spread east through the islands of the tropical and south Pacific Ocean, but the majority of species are found in Australia and New Guinea.
The group is a fairly new taxonomic construct because, until the advent of DNA testing, relationships were largely determined through morphology - i.e. what they physically look like - and the different families within this group look remarkably different to one another. The Meliphagidae (honeyeaters) are adapted for feeding on nectar, while Pardalotidae (pardalotes) look like flowerpeckers, Dasyornithidae (bristlebirds) look like babblers or thrushes, Acanthizidae (thornbills and gerygones) look like Old World warblers, and Maluridae (Australian wrens) look like Old World wrens.
The family Petroicidae (Australasian robins) was also placed into Meliphagoidea at one point but as this is no longer the current opinion I have not included these species within this thread.
Family Meliphagidae: honeyeaters
Family Pardalotidae: pardalotes
Family Dasyornithidae: bristlebirds
Family Acanthizidae: scrubwrens, thornbills, and gerygones
Family Maluridae: fairy-wrens, emu-wrens, and grasswrens
As always, thanks are given to all the hard-working photographers who make these threads (and the future threads) possible. The list of members whose photos have been used in this thread is here on page 6 - The Zoochat Photographic Guide to Meliphagoidea (honeyeaters and allies)
The Meliphagoidea is a group of birds which evolved in ancient Australia and is still predominantly found within the region. A few species have spread westwards through the Indonesian archipelago (with one species even occuring on the mainland of southeast Asia), and others have spread east through the islands of the tropical and south Pacific Ocean, but the majority of species are found in Australia and New Guinea.
The group is a fairly new taxonomic construct because, until the advent of DNA testing, relationships were largely determined through morphology - i.e. what they physically look like - and the different families within this group look remarkably different to one another. The Meliphagidae (honeyeaters) are adapted for feeding on nectar, while Pardalotidae (pardalotes) look like flowerpeckers, Dasyornithidae (bristlebirds) look like babblers or thrushes, Acanthizidae (thornbills and gerygones) look like Old World warblers, and Maluridae (Australian wrens) look like Old World wrens.
The family Petroicidae (Australasian robins) was also placed into Meliphagoidea at one point but as this is no longer the current opinion I have not included these species within this thread.
Family Meliphagidae: honeyeaters
Family Pardalotidae: pardalotes
Family Dasyornithidae: bristlebirds
Family Acanthizidae: scrubwrens, thornbills, and gerygones
Family Maluridae: fairy-wrens, emu-wrens, and grasswrens
As always, thanks are given to all the hard-working photographers who make these threads (and the future threads) possible. The list of members whose photos have been used in this thread is here on page 6 - The Zoochat Photographic Guide to Meliphagoidea (honeyeaters and allies)
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