Campephagidae Cuckooshrikes
Version: 1.0 — Published March 4, 2020
Introduction
Campephagids are widespread in forest and savanna habitats of Asia, Australia, and Africa. Though morphologically variable, all species possess a relatively long tail, usually graduated. Mostly methodical and rather slow-moving foragers, these birds also tend to favor the higher strata of vegetation, and they can thus be quite easy to miss. All campephagids have interesting courtship displays, and those of the minivets, the most distinctive phylogenetic clade in this family, include steep climbs followed by fluttering descents, sometimes with the male chasing the female and grabbing the end of her tail in his bill on the way down. Male suitors of other species sometimes bring a flower to include in their courtship displays.
Habitat
Campephagids live in habitats varying from very dry acacia scrub and spinifex desert to wet tropical forests.
Diet and Foraging
Campephagids feed primarily on insects and other arthropods, and many species often take well-defended prey such as bees, wasps, and hairy caterpillars. Quite a few species eat at least some fruit, especially figs, and seeds.
Breeding
Although information on campephagid reproductive biology is scant, it appears that most species are socially monogamous with biparental care. Only one species, the Ground Cuckooshrike Coracina maxima of Australia, is a well-studied cooperative breeder, but observations of multiple birds helping with various parental duties are scattered throughout the family. Most campephagids nest solitarily, but at least the White-winged Triller Lalage tricolor nests colonially with up to 15 nests in the same clump of trees. Campephagid nests are generally small, cup-shaped, and inconspicuous, and many incorporate lichens, hair, and fine twigs in their structure, often with spiderwebs to anchor them to branches. Females lay 1 to 5 eggs, with 2 or 3 eggs most typical. Both male and female typically assist in nest-building and caring for young, but in some species the female does all parental duties on her own. Incubation takes from 14 to 27 days, and the chicks leave the nest after 12 to 30 days post-hatch. Fledglings are fed at least occasionally by the parents for up to three months post-fledging.
Conservation Status
Although populations of most campephagids appear healthy, 14 species (17%) are of conservation concern largely as a result of habitat loss and restricted or fragmented ranges (9 NT, 4 VU, 1 CR). The critically endangered Reunion Cuckooshrike Coracina newtoni lives only in a small patch of forest on Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean. Its population may be as few as 25 breeding pairs, and introduced predators, logging, and hunting all pose threats to the species’ survival. Other species, mainly in Southeast Asia, are declining due to large-scale habitat conversion through logging. Three of the four vulnerable species are island forms in Asia, and the fourth, the Western Wattled Cuckooshrike Lobotos lobatus, has a very scattered and disjunct range in forest fragments in western Africa.
Systematics History
Campephagidae is part of the corvoid radiation of oscine passerines. Like many members of the corvoid radiation, the exact position of the cuckooshrikes within the group is not completely resolved (Jønsson et al. 2011). Although some studies have suggested an early divergence in the core corvoid radiation (Barker et al. 2004), many other studies have largely agreed on a close relationship to a large and mostly African and Asian radiation, sometimes referred to as the Malaconotoidea (Fuchs et al. 2006c, Fuchs et al. 2007b, Jønsson et al. 2008b, Norman et al. 2009, Fuchs et al. 2012, Aggerbeck et al. 2014). The most likely sister groups for Campephagidae appear to be a clade made up of Artamidae, Platysteiridae, Vangidae, and Malaconotidae (Jønsson et al. 2008b) or an even larger clade that includes these same families plus Machaerirhynchidae, Aegithinidae, Pityriasidae, and Rhagologidae (Aggerbeck et al. 2014). Within Campephagidae, there appear to be two main clades, with Pericrocotus sister to the remaining cuckooshrikes (Fuchs et al. 2007b, Jønsson et al. 2008b).
Conservation Status
Least Concern |
67.4%
|
---|---|
Near Threatened |
7.9%
|
Vulnerable |
5.6%
|
Endangered |
1.1%
|
Critically Endangered |
1.1%
|
Extinct in the Wild |
0%
|
Extinct |
0%
|
Not Evaluated |
0%
|
Data Deficient |
1.1%
|
Unknown |
15.7%
|
Data provided by IUCN (2023) Red List. More information
Related families
The affinities of Campephagidae are not well resolved, although it appears most closely related to a large radiation of the Corvoidea including Oriolidae, Malaconotidae, and Paradisaeidae.