Red-faced nuthatch [1] ( lat. Daphoenositta ) - a genus of songbirds, the only one in the family Neosittidae. Representatives of the genus are common on the island of New Guinea and in Australia.
| Red-faced Nuthatch |
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| Scientific classification |
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| No rank : | Bilateral symmetrical |
| Family: | Neosittidae Ridgway , 1904 |
| Gender: | Red-faced Nuthatch |
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| International scientific name |
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Daphoenositta De Vis , 1897 |
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Birds look like nuthatch. The body is 10-14 cm long, weighing 8-20 g. The wings are short, the flight is weak. Legs are short with long toes, designed for climbing trees. The beak is narrow and sharp, intended for hunting insects.
Earlier, representatives of the genus were assigned to the nuthatch family (Sittidae). According to the results of DNA studies by DNA hybridization, it was determined that the closest relatives of Red-faced Nuthatch are Melanocharitidae and Whistler (Pachycephalidae). Therefore, according to the Sibley-Alqvist classification, the genus was isolated into a monotypic family. There are 2 species in the genus:
- volatile sitella ( Daphoenositta chrysoptera )
- Red-faced Nuthatch ( Daphoenositta miranda )
Volatile sitella previously stood out in the genus Neositta , which included 5 species. Now it is believed that this is one species with eleven subspecies, and the genus Neositta is a junior synonym for Daphoenositta . Sometimes the species Daphoenositta papuensis is isolated from the species Daphoenositta chrysoptera , although some researchers consider it to be a subspecies of Daphoenositta chrysoptera papuensis .