Perching Birds: Suboscines
Suboscine passerine birds have simpler arrangements of the syringeal muscles than those distinguishing the oscine passeriform birds. The three major clades include (1) Old World suboscine families, (2) tyrant flycatchers and related families of the New World, and (3) ovenbird, antbirds, and related families also of the New World.
The Old World suboscines include broadbills and pittas of Africa and Asia and the asities of Madagascar. Joining them is one enigmatic species of South America—the Broad-billed Sapayoa. Broadbills are sluggish, tropical, fruit-eating birds that are traditionally separated from other suboscine birds on the basis of distinct foot tendons. Pittas are secretive, brightly colored, ground birds with long legs and short tails. The asities of Madagascar include two fruit-eating species and two nectar-feeding species that closely resemble sunbirds (Nectariniidae).
The tyrant flycatchers and their relatives of the New World, such as the cotingas and manakins, are distinguished by cranial, syringeal, and tarsal characters. The tyrant flycatchers are diversified in body form and feeding styles. Cotingas are medium-sized and large tropical fruit-eating birds with broad bills, rounded wings, and short legs. Manakins are small, stocky, tropical fruit-eating birds with short wings and tail and broad bills. Cotingas and manakins tend to be brightly colored birds with elaborate courtship behavior.
Ovenbirds, antbirds, and their relatives include many small to medium-sized, often sombre, insect-eating birds of tropical American forests. The woodpecker-like woodcreepers typically have powerful feet with sharp claws and stiff, bracing tails. Ovenbirds are a diverse group of small, brown birds. Antbirds and tapaculos skulk in deeply shaded, thick vegetation but vocalize loudly to one another. They mostly have thick, often hook-tipped bills and short, rounded wings.
Figure A–26 Perching birds—suboscines: (1) Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannidae); (2) Guianan Cock-of-the-Rock (Cotingidae); (3) Banded Pitta (Pittidae); (4) Barred Woodcreeper (Dendrocolaptidae); (5) Great Antshrike (Thamnophilidae).