Asity
Encyclopedia
The asities, are a family
, the Philepittidae, of small suboscine passerine
bird
s. The family consists of four species
in two genera
endemic to Madagascar
. They were thought to have been related to the pitta
s, hence the scientific name of the family, but a 1993 study suggested that they are actually just a subfamily of broadbill
s. The morphology of the syrinx
is very similar to the Grauer's Broadbill of Africa. Here they are considered traditionally as a separate family. Some authors have placed the Sapayoa of South America
in the family, although it is now mostly considered a broadbill. The Neodrepanis species are known as sunbird-asities and were formerly known as false sunbirds.
plumage
and brightly coloured wattles around the eyes of the males. These wattles, which are most conspicuous during the breeding season, get their colour from arrays of collagen
fibres. This method of pigmentation is unique in the animal kingdom. Several other features separate them from the broadbills, they possess twelve tail feather
s on extremely short (almost non-existent in the Philepitta species) tails, their syrinx is encased with a large bronchial ring and they have forked tongues adapted to nectivory. They have a long outer primary
which buzzes in flight, possibly used in signalling during courtship. The two genera are quite distinct.
. A wide range of different fruit is taken by the family, and they are among the most important avian dispersers of seeds, as there are very few other frugivorous birds in the forests of Madagascar. They will also take insect
s. The Neodrepanis sunbird-asities will take nectar, but do so with a long tongue rather than insering their curved bills far into flowers.
d chicks, so there is clearly some variation in breeding strategies in the family. The nests of the family are elaborate; pear-shaped woven structures hanging from branches, similar to those of broadbills, although uniquely amongst birds which weave nests the entrance to the nest is pushed created by pushing through the wall after constructed (instead of the usual scenario where the entrance is weaved into the fabric of the nest).
, is listed as vulnerable
by BirdLife International
and the IUCN. It was once considered to be an endangered species, and even possibly extinct; however this was due to a lack of ornithological
surveys in its high-altitude range. Subsequent research has found it to be more abundant than previously suspected, although it is still considered threatened due to habitat loss and fragmentation. Schlegel's Asity
is considered near threatened; it has a highly fragmented distribution but numerous strongholds in inaccessible ravines.
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
, the Philepittidae, of small suboscine passerine
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s. The family consists of four species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
in two genera
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
endemic to Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
. They were thought to have been related to the pitta
Pitta
Pitta may stand for:*Pittas, a family of tropical birds*Pitta bread *Pitta , an island in the Dodecanese archipelago, in the Aegean Sea...
s, hence the scientific name of the family, but a 1993 study suggested that they are actually just a subfamily of broadbill
Broadbill
The broadbills are a family of small passerine birds, Eurylaimidae. The Smithornis and Pseudocalyptomena species occur in sub-Saharan Africa; the rest extend from the eastern Himalayas to Sumatra and Borneo. The family possibly also includes the Sapayoa from the Neotropics and the asities from...
s. The morphology of the syrinx
Syrinx
In classical mythology, Syrinx was a nymph and a follower of Artemis, known for her chastity. Pursued by the amorous Greek god Pan, she ran to the river's edge and asked for assistance from the river nymphs. In answer, she was transformed into hollow water reeds that made a haunting sound when...
is very similar to the Grauer's Broadbill of Africa. Here they are considered traditionally as a separate family. Some authors have placed the Sapayoa of South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
in the family, although it is now mostly considered a broadbill. The Neodrepanis species are known as sunbird-asities and were formerly known as false sunbirds.
Description
Asities are small forest birds with sexually dichromicSexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism is a phenotypic difference between males and females of the same species. Examples of such differences include differences in morphology, ornamentation, and behavior.-Examples:-Ornamentation / coloration:...
plumage
Plumage
Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
and brightly coloured wattles around the eyes of the males. These wattles, which are most conspicuous during the breeding season, get their colour from arrays of collagen
Collagen
Collagen is a group of naturally occurring proteins found in animals, especially in the flesh and connective tissues of mammals. It is the main component of connective tissue, and is the most abundant protein in mammals, making up about 25% to 35% of the whole-body protein content...
fibres. This method of pigmentation is unique in the animal kingdom. Several other features separate them from the broadbills, they possess twelve tail feather
Feather
Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds and some non-avian theropod dinosaurs. They are considered the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates, and indeed a premier example of a complex evolutionary novelty. They...
s on extremely short (almost non-existent in the Philepitta species) tails, their syrinx is encased with a large bronchial ring and they have forked tongues adapted to nectivory. They have a long outer primary
Flight feather
Flight feathers are the long, stiff, asymmetrically shaped, but symmetrically paired feathers on the wings or tail of a bird; those on the wings are called remiges while those on the tail are called rectrices . Their primary function is to aid in the generation of both thrust and lift, thereby...
which buzzes in flight, possibly used in signalling during courtship. The two genera are quite distinct.
Diet and feeding
The major component of the diet of asties is fruitFruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
. A wide range of different fruit is taken by the family, and they are among the most important avian dispersers of seeds, as there are very few other frugivorous birds in the forests of Madagascar. They will also take insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s. The Neodrepanis sunbird-asities will take nectar, but do so with a long tongue rather than insering their curved bills far into flowers.
Breeding behaviour
Rainforest asities breed during the Malagasy rainy season, beginning just before the rains in September to November. The Velvet Asity begins breeding slightly sooner in the north of its range. That species is the only one for which detailed information about breeding is available. It has a polygynous breeding system, with males holding small territories or leks where they display to passing females. Nest building and raising the young is incubation solely by the females. There are reports of Yellow-bellied Sunbird-asities feeding young in the nest and recently fledgeFledge
Fledge is the stage in a young bird's life when the feathers and wing muscles are sufficiently developed for flight. It also describes the act of a chick's parents raising it to a fully grown state...
d chicks, so there is clearly some variation in breeding strategies in the family. The nests of the family are elaborate; pear-shaped woven structures hanging from branches, similar to those of broadbills, although uniquely amongst birds which weave nests the entrance to the nest is pushed created by pushing through the wall after constructed (instead of the usual scenario where the entrance is weaved into the fabric of the nest).
Threats and conservation
One species, the Yellow-bellied Sunbird-asityYellow-bellied Sunbird-asity
The Yellow-bellied Sunbird-asity, Neodrepanis hypoxantha, is a small species of bird from the asity family. The species is endemic to montane forest above 1600 m on the island of Madagascar. The species is sometimes known simply as the Yellow-bellied Asity...
, is listed as vulnerable
Vulnerable species
On 30 January 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 9694 Vulnerable species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and sub-populations.-References:...
by BirdLife International
BirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global Partnership of conservation organisations that strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources...
and the IUCN. It was once considered to be an endangered species, and even possibly extinct; however this was due to a lack of ornithological
Ornithology
Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and the aesthetic appeal of birds...
surveys in its high-altitude range. Subsequent research has found it to be more abundant than previously suspected, although it is still considered threatened due to habitat loss and fragmentation. Schlegel's Asity
Schlegel's Asity
The Schlegel's Asity is a species of bird in the Philepittidae family.It is endemic to Madagascar.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests....
is considered near threatened; it has a highly fragmented distribution but numerous strongholds in inaccessible ravines.
Species
- Family: Philepittidae
- Genus PhilepittaPhilepittaPhilepitta is a genus of bird in the Philepittidae family.It contains the following species:* Velvet Asity * Schlegel's Asity...
- Velvet AsityVelvet AsityThe Velvet Asity, Philepitta castanea, is a species of bird in the Philepittidae family. It is endemic to Madagascar.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.-References:...
, Philepitta castanea - Schlegel's AsitySchlegel's AsityThe Schlegel's Asity is a species of bird in the Philepittidae family.It is endemic to Madagascar.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests....
, Philepitta schlegeli
- Velvet Asity
- Genus NeodrepanisNeodrepanisNeodrepanis is a genus of bird in the asity family Philepittidae.It contains the following species:* Common Sunbird-asity * Yellow-bellied Sunbird-asity...
- Common Sunbird-asityCommon Sunbird-asityThe Common Sunbird-asity or Sunbird Asity, Neodrepanis coruscans, is a species of bird in the Philepittidae family.It is endemic to Madagascar.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.- References :...
, Neodrepanis coruscans - Yellow-bellied Sunbird-asityYellow-bellied Sunbird-asityThe Yellow-bellied Sunbird-asity, Neodrepanis hypoxantha, is a small species of bird from the asity family. The species is endemic to montane forest above 1600 m on the island of Madagascar. The species is sometimes known simply as the Yellow-bellied Asity...
, Neodrepanis hypoxanthus
- Common Sunbird-asity
- Genus Philepitta
External links
- Asities videos on the Internet Bird Collection
- Don Roberson's Bird Families of the World