Tyranni

The Tyranni (suboscines) are a suborder of passerine birds that includes more than 1,000 species, the large majority of which are South American. It is named after the type genus Tyrannus. These have a different anatomy of the syrinx musculature than the oscines (songbirds of the larger suborder Passeri), hence the common name of suboscines. The available morphological, DNA sequence, and biogeographical data, as well as the (scant) fossil record, agree that these two major passerine suborders are evolutionarily distinct clades. The suborder Tyranni is divided into two infraorders: the Eurylaimides and the Tyrannides. The New Zealand wrens in the family Acanthisittidae are placed in a separate suborder Acanthisitti. The phylogenetic relationships of the 16 families in the Tyranni suborder is shown below. The cladogram is based on a large molecular genetic study by Carl Oliveros and collaborators published in 2019: The families and the species numbers are from the list maintained by the International Ornithologists' Union (IOC). The Eurylaimides contain the Old World suboscines – mainly distributed in tropical regions around the Indian Ocean – and a single American species, the sapayoa: Philepittidae: asities Eurylaimidae: typical broadbills Calyptomenidae: African and green broadbills Sapayoidae: broad-billed sapayoa Pittidae: pittas The Tyrannides contain all the suboscines from the Americas except the broad-billed sapayoa. The families listed here are those recognised by the International Ornithologists' Union. Pipridae: manakins Cotingidae: cotingas Tityridae: tityras, sharpbill, becards (includes Oxyruncus and Onychorhynchus) Tyrannidae: tyrant-flycatchers (includes Piprites, Platyrinchus, Tachuris and Rhynchocyclus) Melanopareiidae: crescent chests Conopophagidae: gnateaters and gnatpittas Thamnophilidae: antbirds Grallariidae: antpittas Rhinocryptidae: tapaculos Formicariidae: antthrushes Furnariidae: ovenbirds and woodcreepers (includes Dendrocolaptidae) This group has been separated into three parvorders by Sibley & Ahlquist.