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A comprehensive phylogeny of the nuthatches, genus Sitta, is proposed based on 21 of the 24-28 species recognized in the genus and three genes, two mitochondrial (cytochrome b and cytochrome oxidase subunit I) and one nuclear (RAG1). This phylogeny is well resolved and reveals several major clades within nuthatches. Przevalski's Nuthatch Sitta przewalskii is sister to all other nuthatches, without any close relatives in our sampling. The larger species S. carolinensis and S. magna, despite their disjunct distributions, are sister taxa at the base of the tree. The next clade comprises the europaea group, which is sister to the two rock nuthatches ( S. tephronota and S. neumayer), and to the Beautiful Nuthatch Sitta formosa of southeast Asia, although with less support. All these species use plastering to reduce the entrance of their hole or to build their nest with mud on rocks, but their ecologies are not as specialized as those of the rock nuthatches. The Asian small species (represented by S. azurea, S. frontalis and S. oenochlamys) form a well-supported clade. We confirm a single origin for the canadensis group that also includes the Yunnan nuthatch Sitta yunnanensis. Both are sister group to the two sibling species of North America ( S. pygmaea and S. pusilla); all these species dig their own nest in trunks and are closely associated with coniferous forest. A biogeographical analysis supports the hypothesis of Asia being the center of diversification for nuthatches, with several independent dispersal events to North America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Recent molecular studies on passerine birds have highlighted numerous discrepancies between traditional classification and the phylogenetic relationships recovered from sequence data. Among the traditional families that were shown to be highly polyphyletic are the Muscicapidae Old World flycatcher. This family formerly included all Old World passerines that forage on small insects by performing short sallies from a perch. Genera previously allocated to the Muscicapidae are now thought to belong to at least seven unrelated lineages. While the peculiarity of most of these lineages has been previously recognized by Linnean classification, usually at the rank of families, one, the so-called Stenostiridae, a clade comprising three Afrotropical and Indo-Malayan genera, has only recently been discovered. Here, we address in greater detail the phylogenetic relationships and biogeographic history of the Stenostiridae using a combination of mitochondrial and nuclear data. Our analyses revealed that one species, Rhipidura hypoxantha, previously attributed to the Rhipiduridae (fantails), is in fact a member of the Stenostiridae radiation and sister to the South African endemic genus Stenostira (Fairy Flycatcher). Our dating analyses, performed in a relative-time framework, suggest that the splits between Stenostira/R. hypoxantha and Culicicapa/Elminia occurred synchronously. Given that the Stenostiridae assemblage has been consistently recovered by independent studies, we clarify its taxonomic validity under the rules of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The genus Elminia has had a jumbled taxonomic history, being placed among ‘old world flycatchers’ or ‘monarch flycatchers’, where it was for a long time lumped with Trochocercus. It was recently suggested that it might represent a deep clade in the large sylvioid radiation. Using one mitochondrial protein-coding gene (ND2, 1041 bp) and one nuclear intron (myoglobin intron 2, 700 bp) DNA sequences, we obtained robust evidence for the phylogenetic placement of Elminia in the new family Stenostiridae, which is strongly supported by a synapomorphic insertion of one base in the nuclear myoglobin intron 2 sequence. Our analyses confirm the monophyly of Elminia and resolve relationships within this genus, but cannot confidently identify its sister-taxon within the stenostirid clade. Two clades were strongly supported within the genus Elminia: one with the two fairy blue flycatchers and another with the three white-tailed crested-flycatchers. Within the first clade, Elminia longicauda appears non-monophyletic but remains strongly related to E. albicauda. In the second clade, E. albiventris is sister to E. albonotata while the Dusky Crested Flycatcher ( E. nigromitrata) appears in a basal position within this clade. According to our molecular dating, several geological events in western Africa and the Albertine Rift area seem to be related to the historical distribution of Elminia. Thus, the differentiation between E. albonotata and E. albiventris could be directly related to the tectonic history of these two regions. According to our molecular dating, at least one intercontinental dispersal event involving Culicicapa took place within the Stenostiridae clade at a time when the Middle East was forested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We address the phylogenetic relationships of the drongos (Dicruridae) at the species-level using sequences from two nuclear (myoglobin intron-2 and c-mos) and two mitochondrial (ND2 and cytochrome b) loci. The resulting phylogenetic tree shows that the most basal species is D. aeneus, followed in the tree by a trichotomy including (1) the Asian D. remifer, (2) a clade of all African and Indian Ocean islands species as well as two Asian species (D. macrocercus and D. leucophaeus) and (3) a clade that includes all other Asian species as well as two Australasian species (D. megarhynchus and D. bracteatus). Our phylogenetic hypotheses are compared to [Mayr, E., Vaurie, C., 1948. Evolution of the family Dicruridae (Birds). Evolution 2, 238–265.] hypothetical family “tree” based on traditional phenotypic analysis and biogeography. We point out a general discrepancy between the so-called “primitive” or “unspecialized” species and their position in the phylogenetic tree, although our results for other species are congruent with previous hypotheses. We conduct dating analyses using a relaxed-clock method, and propose a chronology of clades formation. A particular attention is given to the drongo radiation in Indian Ocean islands and to the extinction–invasion processes involved. The first large diversification of the family took place both in Asia and Africa at 11.9 and 13.3Myr, respectively, followed by a dispersal event from Africa to Asia at ca 10.6Myr; dispersal over Wallace line occurred later at ca 6Myr. At 5Myr, Principe and Indian Ocean Islands have been colonized from an African ancestor; the most recent colonization event concerned Anjouan by an immigrating population from Madagascar. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

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Highlights: [•] Ptilinopus forms a clade that includes Alectroenas and Drepanoptila. [•] Basal divergences dated to the Early Oligocene. [•] Fruit doves originated most probably from the proto New Guinea region. [•] Colonization of Oceania was not associated with a significant increase of diversification rate. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The Malaconotidea (e.g., butcherbirds, bush-shrikes, batises, vangas) represent an Old World assemblage of corvoid passerines that encompass many different foraging techniques (e.g., typical flycatchers, flycatcher-shrikes, canopy creepers, undergrowth skulkers). At present, relationships among the primary Malaconotidea clades are poorly resolved, a result that could either be attributed to a rapid accumulation of lineages over a short period of time (hard polytomy) or to an insufficient amount of data having been brought to bear on the problem (soft polytomy). Our objective was to resolve the phylogenetic relationships and biogeographic history of the Malaconotidea using DNA sequences gathered from 10 loci with different evolutionary properties. Given the range of substitution rates of molecular markers we sequenced (mitochondrial, sex-linked, autosomal), we also sought to explore the effect of altering the branch-length prior in Bayesian tree estimation analyses. We found that changing the branch-length priors had no major effect on topology, but clearly improved mixing of the chains for some loci. Our phylogenetic analyses clarified the relationships of several genera (e.g., Pityriasis, Machaerirhynchus) and provide for the first time strong support for a sister-group relationship between core platysteirids and core vangids. Our biogeographic reconstruction somewhat unexpectedly suggests that the large African radiation of malaconotids originated after a single over-water dispersal from Australasia around 45–33.7mya, shedding new light on the origins of the Afrotropical avifauna. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Laniarius is one of the larger genera within the avian bush-shrike radiation, the family Malaconotidae. Fairly homogenous by size and shape but highly variable by colours, these have been classified mainly on basis of plumage colours. In the present study, which is the first taxon-dense analysis of the genus Laniarius based on molecular sequence data (nuclear BRM15 intron-15, and mitochondrial ND2 and ATPase6 genes), we investigate interrelationships between 16 species and 34 subspecies of Laniarius. Altogether 2094bp were aligned and subjected to maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference analyses. Results strongly support the monophyly of Laniarius, and place it close to Chlorophoneus, but without outlining a precise sister-group. In a generally well-resolved phylogeny of Laniarius, L. leucorhynchus and L. atrococcineus constitute deep branches and the remaining species form five clades which are not concordant with previously defined superspecies. The black and white boubous belong to two different clades. L. aethiopicus appears polyphyletic and our results support the resurrection of Laniarius major, Laniarius erlangeri and Laniarius sublacteus. We also find that L. liberatus, described in 1991 based on the only known live individual, is identified as an unusual colour morph from L. erlangeri. The black boubous are not monophyletic; L. funebris and L. leucorhynchus appear as isolated species whereas L. poensis and L. fuelleborni are sister-taxa. We recovered the polyphyly of crimson boubous and new hypotheses on their relationships have been generated. Overall, the variation in pigments and patterns does not follow phylogenetic lineages. The plumage coloration could be thoroughly subject to modification and it could not reflect exactly colour plumages of the parents. From then on, the plumage coloration appears as an unreliable morphological character for defining species and species groups. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The African genus Hyliota includes three or four species of warbler-like birds of uncertain phylogenetic affinities, as it has historically been placed in different avian families that are now known to represent unrelated lineages: Malaconotidae (bush-shrikes), Platysteiridae (batises and wattle-eyes), Muscicapidae (Old World flycatchers) and Sylviidae (Old-World Warblers). To assess the affinities of Hyliota we sequenced a mitochondrial protein-coding gene (ND2, 1018bp) and a nuclear intron (myoglobin intron-2, 685bp). Our analyses suggest that all previous hypotheses concerning the affinities of Hyliota are erroneous. Instead, Hyliota represents a basal branch in the Passerida radiation with no close relatives. Our results, which also include analyses of relationships among other of other atypical songbird genera, lend support to an African origin of the Passerida songbird radiation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]