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Xenicus

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Xenicus
A South Island wren.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Acanthisittidae
Genus: Xenicus
G.R. Gray, 1855
Type species
Motacilla longipes[1]
Gmelin, 1789
Synonyms

Pachyplichas (Millener, 1988)

Xenicus is a genus of birds in the family Acanthisittidae. It contains New Zealand wrens.

Species

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Lyall's wren was classified as Xenicus lyalli but is quite divergent, so it is placed in its own genus, Traversia.

Taxonomy

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The stout-legged wrens formed a species pair. They had reduced wings and robust legs indicating that they were adapted to a terrestrial existence and were either flightless or nearly so.[2] Genetic evidence has indicated that the former genus Pachyplichas is nested within Xenicus, and stout-legged wrens must have evolved from a gracile-legged ancestor. A cladogram is given below.[3]

References

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  1. ^ "Acanthisittidae". aviansystematics.org. The Trust for Avian Systematics. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  2. ^ Millener (1988).
  3. ^ Mitchell, Kieren J.; Wood, Jamie R.; Llamas, Bastien; McLenachan, Patricia A.; Kardailsky, Olga; Scofield, R. Paul; Worthy, Trevor H.; Cooper, Alan (September 2016). "Ancient mitochondrial genomes clarify the evolutionary history of New Zealand's enigmatic acanthisittid wrens". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 102: 295–304. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2016.05.038. PMID 27261250.

Further reading

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