Chenorhamphus Explained

Chenorhamphus is a genus of birds in the Australasian wren family, Maluridae.

Taxonomy and systematics

The species of the genus Chenorhamphus were formerly classified in the genus Malurus until a 2011 analysis of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA showed high divergence between the two taxa resulting in them being re-split into separate species. The study also found them to lie in a separate clade with the genera Sipodotus and Clytomyias and distinct from the genus Malurus. This led to the subsequent re-classification of the species into their own genus, Chenorhamphus.^[1]

The genus contains two species:^[2]

• Broad-billed fairywren (Chenorhamphus grayi)
• Campbell's fairywren (Chenorhamphus campbelli)

External links

Notes and References

1. Driskell, Amy C.. Norman, Janette A.. Pruett-Jones, Stephen. Mangall, Elizabeth. Sonsthagen, Sarah. Christidis, Les. 2011. A multigene phylogeny examining evolutionary and ecological relationships in the Australo-papuan wrens of the subfamily Malurinae (Aves). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 60. 3 . 480–85. 10.1016/j.ympev.2011.03.030. 21466855.
2. Web site: Gill . Frank . Frank Gill (ornithologist) . Donsker . David . 2017 . Lyrebirds, scrubbirds, bowerbirds & Australasian wrens . World Bird List Version 7.3 . International Ornithologists' Union . 13 November 2017 .