Tetrakas & Allies

The Bernieridae, a family that includes the tetrakas and their relatives, comprises a group of eleven small forest-dwelling songbird species endemic to Madagascar, officially named in 2010. Historically, they were incorrectly grouped with bulbuls, Old World babblers, and warblers due to convergent evolution and a lack of focused studies. However, modern genetic research using mitochondrial and nuclear DNA has confirmed their distinctiveness as a family. They occupy various habitats in Madagascar, mainly the humid rainforests of the east and some in the drier southwest, where they primarily consume insects and participate in mixed-species foraging flocks. The family includes eight genera, with some species like Appert's tetraka and the dusky tetraka considered vulnerable due to habitat loss. Although some species have only recently been described to science, with the cryptic warbler identified in 1996 and Appert's tetraka in 1972, their unique characteristics are now recognized and increasingly understood.