Scientific name:
Timaliinae

Natural spread:
Asia, Africa, Australia, North America

no ornithologist thrives, if it must assign a type of the sparrow-birds again to the Timalien, because it so properly is not suited to any other type. Here, 245-258 types (according to researchers) were unified in order not to need to under-structure the gigantic family of the Fliegenschnäpperartigen to strongly. Many types have some mutualities with different other subfamilies in each case so that reasons let themselves find only heavily for the actual assignment.

Characteristics Declares itself from it that the birds small or big (9-42 cm of length) and from quite different shape is.

However, all are bad planes with its rounded off wings and rather are at the ground or on trees. They live from fruits and insects on that occasion. Most types fall through its loud voice, that quite well-sounds, on (therefore also noise or chat-throttles) can be, although it is about representatives of the most original Singvögel here. The sun-bird carries Z. B. rightly the name "Chinese nightingale." The plumage can be simple, in other cases very colorful.

Spread Until on one type, the Chaparral-Timalie (Chamaea fasciata) of the North American Pacific-coast, the Timalien live in the old world. Here, they are Indonesia over south and Eastern Asia, Melanesien, Australia, Africa, Madagascar and Asia Minor spreads.

System At least 6 type-groups are distinguished, of which some types and types, how above justifies, more meaningfully than separate keyword is treated:

Zaunkönigstimalien and Sicheltimalien (type-group Pomatorhinini) Moostimalie (Pnoepyga pusilla), Häherlinge (type Garrulax), sun-bird (Leiothrix lutea).