Black-capped Donacobius (Donacobius atricapilla) Science Article 1
abstract
The taxonomic affinities of the Neotropical endemic bird genus Donacobius (and its only species D. atricapilla) have long been a challenging issue in systematic ornithology. Sincethe 19th century, this monotypic genus has been alternatively regarded as a member of the following oscine passerine families: Turdidae, Troglodytidae, and Mimidae (Bonaparte 1850,Pelzeln 1870, Ridgway 1907, Davis and Miller 1960). More recently, D. atricapilla was transferred from the Mimidae to the Troglodytidae based on several morphological, behavioral, and ecological similarities shared with species of the latter group (Miller 1964, AOU 1983, Kiltie and Fitzpatrick 1984, Wetmore et al. 1984). Since then, most recent classifi cations place Donacobius in the Troglodytidae (Ridgely and Tudor 1989, Sibley and Monroe 1990, AOU 1998, Kroodsma and Brewer 2005).
Alexandre Aleixo and Jose Fernando Pacheco, Revista Brasileira de Ornitologia 14 (2) 172-173