From Opus

Malaysian Rail-babbler
Photo by Peter Ericsson

Eastern Whipbird
Photo by mehdhalaouate

Family: Eupetidae

[edit] Description

Whipbirds and Quail-thrushes (including Jewel-babblers), Rail-babbler and Ifrit.
A heterogeneous family from Australia, New Guinea and southeast Asia.
Most members are terrestrial and have strong legs and a strong bill. The tail is mostly rather long.

[edit] Taxonomy

Eupetidae is a family in the Order Passeriformes.
The family and its members have a long taxonomic history in several different families. Most were placed within the Babblers in the past.
Molecular evidence suggests that several groups of this family should maybe better be placed in their own families. A possible segregation could be:

• Psophodes and maybe also Androphobus in Psophodidae
• Cinclosoma and Ptilorrhoa in Cinclosomatidae
• Eupetes as only genus in the remaining Eupetidae
• The placement of Ifrita is still open, but maybe it would be best placed in a family of its own.

If only the Malaysian Rail-babbler would be placed in its own family the remaining family would be named Cinclosomatidae.

The two Melampittas of the genus Melampitta are sometimes included in this family.

[edit] References

1. Del Hoyo, J, A Elliott, and D Christie, eds. 2007. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 12: Picathartes to Tits and Chickadees. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8496553422

• List of references