Vanga
Vangidae | |
---|---|
White-headed vanga (Artamella viridis) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Superfamily: | Malaconotoidea |
Family: | Vangidae Swainson, 1831 |
Genera | |
21, see text | |
Synonyms | |
Tephrodornithidae |
The family Vangidae (from vanga, Malagasy for the hook-billed vanga, Vanga curvirostris)[1] comprises a group of often shrike-like medium-sized birds distributed from Asia to Africa, including the vangas of Madagascar to which the family owes its name. Many species in this family were previously classified elsewhere in other families. Recent molecular techniques made it possible to assign these species to Vangidae, thereby solving several taxonomic enigmas. The family contains 40 species divided into 21 genera.
Taxonomy
In addition to the small set of Malagasy species traditionally called the vangas, Vangidae includes some Asian groups: the
Vangidae belongs to a clade of corvid birds that also includes
On Madagascar, vangas were traditionally believed to be a small family of shrike-like birds. Recent research suggests that several Madagascan taxa most similar in appearance and habits (and formerly considered to be) Old World warblers, Old World flycatchers or Old World babblers may be vangas. Yamagishi et al. found in 2001 that
The phylogenetic relationships between the genera are shown below. The cladogram is based on a study by Sushma Reddy and collaborators that was published in 2012. The species in the subfamily Vanginae are endemic to Madagascar.[9]
Vangidae |
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Description
The vangas are an example of
Most vangas are largely black, brown or grey above and white below. Exceptions include the blue and white blue vanga and the blue-grey nuthatch vanga. The helmet vanga is mostly black with a rufous back. Male Bernier's vangas are entirely black while the females are brown. It is one of several species with distinct male and female plumage while in other species the sexes are identical.[12]
Most vangas have whistling calls.[12]
Distribution and habitat
All vangas are endemic to Madagascar apart from the blue vanga, which also occurs in the Comoros on
Behaviour
Their diet can include insects, earthworms, millipedes, lizards and amphibians.
Most species nest in pairs, building cup-shaped nests using twigs, bark, roots and leaves. The sickle-billed vanga nests in groups and builds a large nest of sticks.[11]
Status and conservation
Some species of vanga are common such as the
Species list
The family contains 21 genera and 40 species.[14]
FAMILY: VANGIDAE
- Genus: Calicalicus
- Red-tailed vanga, Calicalicus madagascariensis
- Red-shouldered vanga, Calicalicus rufocarpalis
- Genus: Schetba
- Rufous vanga, Schetba rufa
- Genus: Vanga
- Hook-billed vanga, Vanga curvirostris
- Genus: Xenopirostris
- Lafresnaye's vanga, Xenopirostris xenopirostris
- Van Dam's vanga, Xenopirostris damii
- Pollen's vanga, Xenopirostris polleni
- Genus: Falculea
- Sickle-billed vanga, Falculea palliata
- Genus: Artamella
- White-headed vanga, Artamella viridis
- Genus: Leptopterus
- Chabert vanga, Leptopterus chabert
- Genus: Cyanolanius
- Madagascar blue vanga, Cyanolanius madagascarinus
- Comoros blue vanga, Cyanolanius comorensis.
- Genus: Oriolia
- Bernier's vanga, Oriolia bernieri
- Genus: Euryceros
- Helmet vanga, Euryceros prevostii
- Genus: Tylas
- Tylas vanga, Tylas eduardi
- Genus: Hypositta
- Nuthatch vanga or coral-billed nuthatch vanga, Hypositta corallirostris
- Genus: Newtonia
- Northern dark newtonia, Newtonia amphichroa
- Southern dark newtonia, Newtonia lavarambo (sometimes considered a subspecies of N. amphicroa)
- Common newtonia, Newtonia brunneicauda
- Archbold's newtonia, Newtonia archboldi
- Red-tailed newtonia, Newtonia fanovanae
- Genus: Prionops
- Yellow-crested helmetshrike, Prionops alberti
- Red-billed helmetshrike, Prionops caniceps
- Rufous-bellied helmetshrike, Prionops rufiventris
- Gabela helmetshrike, Prionops gabela
- White-crested helmetshrike, Prionops plumatus
- Grey-crested helmetshrike, Prionops poliolophus
- Retz's helmetshrike, Prionops retzii
- Chestnut-fronted helmetshrike, Prionops scopifrons
- Genus: Mystacornis
- Crossley's babbler, Mystacornis crossleyi
- Genus: Bias
- Black-and-white shrike-flycatcher, Bias musicus
- Genus: Megabyas
- African shrike-flycatcher, Megabyas flammulatus
- Genus: Hemipus
- Black-winged flycatcher-shrike, Hemipus hirundinaceus
- Bar-winged flycatcher-shrike, Hemipus picatus
- Genus: Tephrodornis
- Large woodshrike, Tephrodornis gularis
- Malabar woodshrike, Tephrodornis sylvicola
- Common woodshrike, Tephrodornis pondicerianus
- Sri Lanka woodshrike, Tephrodornis affinis
- Genus: Philentoma
- Rufous-winged philentoma, Philentoma pyrhoptera
- Maroon-breasted philentoma, Philentoma velata
- Genus: Pseudobias
- Ward's flycatcher, Pseudobias wardi
References
- ISBN 0-19-854634-3.
- ^ Moyle, R.G., J. Cracraft, M. Lakim, J. Nais & F.H. Sheldon (2006), Reconsideration of the phylogenetic relationships of the enigmatic Bornean Bristlehead (Pityriasis gymnocephala), Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 39, 893–898.
- ISBN 0-19-517234-5.
- ^ Fuchs, J.; Bowie, R.C.K.; Fjeldsa, J. & Pasquet, E. (2004): Phylogenetic relationships of the African bush-shrikes and helmet-shrikes (Passeriformes: Malaconotidae). Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 33(2): 428–439.
- ^ Yamagishi, S.; Honda, M.; Eguchi, K. & Thorstrom, R. (2001): Extreme endemic radiation of the Malagasy Vangas (Aves: Passeriformes). J. Mol. Evol. 53(1): 39–46. Abstract
- ^ Cibois, A.; Pasquet, E. & Schulenberg, T.S. (1999): HTML Molecular systematics of the Malagasy babblers (Timaliidae) and Warblers (Sylviidae), based on cytochrome b and 16S rRNA sequences. Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 13(3): 581–595.
- ^ Cibois, A.; Slikas, B.; Schulenberg, T.S. & Pasquet, E. (2001): An endemic radiation of Malagasy songbirds is revealed by mitochondrial DNA sequence data. Evolution 55(6): 1198–1206. PDF fulltext Archived 2011-07-27 at the Wayback Machine
- ISBN 0-226-30306-3
- PMC 3311898.
- ^ a b c Garbutt, Nick (2004) Different by design: the Vangas of Madagascar, in: Africa – Birds & Birding, 9: 28–34.
- ^ a b c d e Perrins, Christopher, ed. (2004) The New Encyclopedia of Birds, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Sinclair, Ian & Olivier, Langrand (1998) Birds of the Indian Ocean Islands, Struik, Cape Town.
- ^ BirdLife International (2009) Species factsheet: Xenopirostris damii. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 2/1/2010.
- Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (January 2023). "Batises, bushshrikes, boatbills, vangas (sensu lato)". IOC World Bird List Version 13.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
External links
- Vanga videos on the Internet Bird Collection
- Vangas, Bird Families of the World