Corvida


The "Corvida" were one of two "parvorders" contained within the suborder Passeri, as proposed in the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy, the other being Passerida. Standard taxonomic practice would place them at the rank of infraorder.
More recent research suggests that this is not a distinct clade—a group of closest relatives and nothing else—but an evolutionary grade instead. As such, it is abandoned in modern treatments, being replaced by a number of superfamilies that are considered rather basal among the Passeri.
It was presumed that cooperative breeding—present in many or most members of the Maluridae, Meliphagidae, Artamidae and Corvidae, among others—is a common apomorphy of this group. But as evidenced by the updated phylogeny, this trait is rather the result of parallel evolution, perhaps because the early Passeri had to compete against many ecologically similar birds.

Placement of "Corvida" families

This table lists, in taxonomic order, the families placed in "Corvida" by the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy in the left column. The right column contains details of their placement in modern systematics.
Corvoidea and Meliphagoidea are placed basally among the Passeri too. They are, however, groups large enough to be considered superfamilies in their own right.
FamilyModern placement
Menuridae: lyrebirdsBasalmost Passeri, close to Atrichornithidae
Atrichornithidae: scrub-birdsBasalmost Passeri, close to Menuridae
Climacteridae: Australian treecreepersBasal Passeri, close to Ptilonorhynchidae
Ptilonorhynchidae: bowerbirdsBasal Passeri, close to Climacteridae
Maluridae: fairy-wrens, emu-wrens and grasswrensMeliphagoidea. Nowadays several families.
Meliphagidae: honeyeaters and alliesMeliphagoidea
Pardalotidae: pardalotes, scrubwrens, thornbills, and gerygonesMeliphagoidea. Nowadays several families; Pardalotidae proper might belong in Meliphagidae
Petroicidae: Australasian robinsPasseri incertae sedis, close to Picathartidae
Orthonychidae: logrunnersPasseri incertae sedis, close to Pomatostomidae
Pomatostomidae: Australasian babblersPasseri incertae sedis, close to Orthonychidae
Cinclosomatidae: whipbirds and alliesCorvoidea incertae sedis, relationships with Pachycephalidae unresolved
Neosittidae: sittellasCorvoidea
Pachycephalidae: whistlers, shrike-thrushes, pitohuis and alliesCorvoidea incertae sedis, highly paraphyletic and relationships with Cinclosomatidae unresolved
Dicruridae: monarch flycatchers and alliesCorvoidea. Possibly paraphyletic
Campephagidae: cuckoo-shrikes and trillers Corvoidea
Oriolidae: orioles and figbirdsCorvoidea
Icteridae: American blackbirds/orioles, grackles and cowbirdsPasserida: Passeroidea
Artamidae: woodswallows, butcherbirds, currawongs and Australian magpieCorvoidea
Paradisaeidae: birds of paradiseCorvoidea
Cnemophilidae: satinbirds Passeri incertae sedis, possibly close to Callaeidae
Corvidae: crows, ravens, jays, etc.Corvoidea
Corcoracidae: white-winged chough and apostlebirdCorvoidea
Irenidae: fairy-bluebirdsPasseri incertae sedis; close to Passeroidea or Regulidae
Laniidae: shrikesCorvoidea
Prionopidae: helmetshrikes Corvoidea
Malaconotidae: bush-shrikes and allies Corvoidea
Vireonidae: vireosCorvoidea
Vangidae: vangasCorvoidea
Turnagridae: piopiosCorvoidea
Callaeidae: New Zealand wattlebirdsPasseri incertae sedis, possibly close to Cnemophilidae

In addition, the following families were not included in the "Corvida" although their closest relationships are with taxa included therein:
FamilySibley-Ahlquist placementModern placement
Platysteiridae: wattle-eyesPasserida Corvoidea
Picathartidae: rockfowlPasseridaPasseri incertae sedis, close to Petroicidae
Chaetopidae: rockjumpersPasserida Passeri incertae sedis, close to Petroicidae
Melanocharitidae: berrypeckers and longbillsPasseridaPasseri incertae sedis, possibly close to Cnemophilidae
Paramythiidae: tit berrypecker and crested berrypeckerPasserida Passeri incertae sedis, possibly close to Cnemophilidae

Footnotes