As regular CFZ-watchers will know, for some time Corinna has been doing a column for Animals & Men and a regular segment on On The Track... particularly about out-of-place birds and rare vagrants. There seem to be more and more bird stories from all over the world hitting the news these days so, to make room for them all - and to give them all equal and worthy coverage - she has set up this new blog to cover all things feathery and Fortean.

Tuesday 17 June 2014

Elachuridae: Ornithologists Describe New Family of Passerine Birds

Jun 16, 2014 by Sergio Prostak

A group of ornithologists led by Dr Trevor Price of the University of Chicago has described a new family of birds that is represented by just one species, the Spotted wren-babbler.

The Spotted wren-babbler (Elachura formosa), a painting by John Gerrard Keulemans, 1892.
The Spotted wren-babbler (Elachura formosa),
a painting by John Gerrard Keulemans, 1892.
The Spotted wren-babbler is a small perching bird found in China, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.

This bird measures about 10 cm in length and has a short tail. It is brown above, white below, with rufous wings. It also has white speckles all over its body.

Previously, the spotted wren-babbler was included in the genus Spelaeornis as Spelaeornis formosus along with eight other species of wren-babblers.

But a new study of bird DNA has uncovered a big surprise.






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