Taxa
Philepittidae
Family
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Philepittidae, the asities, is a small family of passerine birds endemic to Madagascar, comprising four species in two genera, Philepitta and Neodrepanis. These small forest birds are sexually dimorphic; males of most species carry brightly colored wattles around the eyes, colored by an unusual collagen-based pigment. Asities have very short tails carrying just twelve feathers, and their long outer primary feathers produce an audible buzz in flight. The two Neodrepanis species, known as sunbird-asities and formerly called false sunbirds, have forked tongues specially adapted for feeding on nectar.
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