Vanga

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Vangidae
White-headed vanga (Artamella viridis)
Scientific classification Edit this 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

woodshrikes (Tephrodornis), flycatcher-shrikes (Hemipus) and philentomas.[2]

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

Crossley's babbler belong with the vangas.[6][7][8]

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

Prionops
– helmetshrikes (8 species)

Megabyas
– African shrike-flycatcher

Bias
– black-and-white shrike-flycatcher

Hemipus
– flycatcher-shrikes (2 species)

Tephrodornis – woodshrikes (4 species)

Philentoma – philentomas (2 species)

Vanginae

Newtonia – newtonias (4 species)

Tylas
– tylas vanga

Calicalicus – vangas (2 species)

Hypositta
– nuthatch vanga

Mystacornis
– Crossley's vanga

Leptopterus
– Chabert vanga

Cyanolanius – blue vangas (2 species)

Vanga
– hook-billed vanga

Pseudobias
– Ward's flycatcher

Schetba
– rufous vanga

Euryceros
– helmet vanga

Xenopirostris – vangas (3 species)

Oriolia
– Bernier's vanga

Falculea
– sickle-billed vanga

Artamella
– white-headed vanga

Description

The vangas are an example of

newtonias, have a small, thin bill. The sickle-billed vanga is notable for its long, curved bill used to probe into holes and cracks.[11]

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

thorn scrub in the south-west.[12]

Behaviour

a helmet vanga feeding nestlings

Their diet can include insects, earthworms, millipedes, lizards and amphibians.

leaf litter.[12] The chabert vanga and the tylas vanga often fly into the air to catch prey. The three Xenopirostris vangas use their laterally flattened bills to strip bark off trees to search for food underneath.[10]

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

near-threatened by BirdLife International and the red-shouldered vanga, Bernier's vanga, helmet vanga and red-tailed newtonia are regarded as vulnerable. Van Dam's vanga is classed as endangered because it is restricted to a small area of north-west Madagascar where the forest is rapidly disappearing due to clearance for agriculture and uncontrolled bushfires.[13]

Species list

Hook-billed vanga (Vanga curvirostris)
Lafresnaye's vanga (Xenopirostris xenopirostris)
Chabert vanga (Leptopterus chabert)

The family contains 21 genera and 40 species.[14]

FAMILY: VANGIDAE

References

  1. .
  2. ^ 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.
  3. .
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ 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
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ 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
  8. .
  9. ^ a b c Garbutt, Nick (2004) Different by design: the Vangas of Madagascar, in: Africa – Birds & Birding, 9: 28–34.
  10. ^ a b c d e Perrins, Christopher, ed. (2004) The New Encyclopedia of Birds, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h Sinclair, Ian & Olivier, Langrand (1998) Birds of the Indian Ocean Islands, Struik, Cape Town.
  12. ^ BirdLife International (2009) Species factsheet: Xenopirostris damii. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 2/1/2010.
  13. 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

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