Callaeidae

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New Zealand Wattlebirds
Huia (Heteralocha acutirostris)
Huia (Heteralocha acutirostris)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Suborder: Passeri
Family: Callaeidae
Sundevall, 1836
Genera

 Callaeas
 Philesturnus
 Heteralocha

The small bird family Callaeidae (also named in some sources as Callaeatidae) is endemic to New Zealand. It contains three monotypic genera; of the three species in the family, only two survive and one of them, the Kokako, is an endangered species. A third, the Huia became extinct early in the 20th century.

The Callaeidae are often known as wattlebirds, a term that leads to confusion, as there are other, unrelated species with this same name, notably the large Australian wattlebirds of the family Meliphagidae, which are honeyeaters. For this reason New Zealand Wattlebirds is the informal name for this family used by the scientific community.[1]

These birds seem to be remnants of an early expansion of passerines to New Zealand. They have no close relatives except the stitchbird, and their more distant relationships are likewise still unknown [2]


  • ORDER PASSERIFORMES
    • (many other families)
    • Family Callaeidae
      • Kokako, Callaeas cinerea
      • Tieke, or Saddleback, Philesturnus carunculatus (formerly Creadion carunculatus)
      • Huia, Heteralocha acuitirostris (extinct)

[edit] References

  1. ^ Higgins, P.J. & J.M. Peter (eds) 2002. Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Volume 6: Pardalotes to Shrike-thrushes. Oxford University Press, Melbourne. ISBN 0-19-553762-9
  2. ^ Ewen, John G.; Flux, Ian & Ericson, Per G. P. (2006): Systematic affinities of two enigmatic New Zealand passerines of high conservation priority, the hihi or stitchbird Notiomystis cincta and the kokako Callaeas cinerea. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 40(1): 281–284. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2006.01.026 PDF fulltext