Parulidae

▪ bird family

      the songbird family of birds, order Passeriformes, consisting of the woodwarblers and bananaquits. The Parulidae comprise about 119 species of small, active birds, notable for their bright spring plumage and dazzling snatches of song, that live in the forests of the Western Hemisphere.

      Songbird species range in size from 10 to 18.5 cm (4 to 7.5 inches) long. They have slender, pointed bills, pointed wings, and rounded tails. Most glean small insects among foliage of trees or shrubs; a few forage on the ground. The yellow-breasted chat (Icteria virens), the largest of the family, is an excellent mimic and a strong singer. The ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapillus), yellow throat (Geothlypis trichas), and American redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) are distinctive songsters with easily recognizable melodies.

      Bananaquits (Coereba) and conebills (Conirostrum) of Latin America are sometimes given family rank (as the Coerebidae). The Parulidae belongs to the songbird suborder (Passeres).

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