Redthroat

The redthroat (Pyrrholaemus brunneus) is a small, mostly ground-dwelling species of bird in the family Acanthizidae. It is endemic to Australia, occurring mostly in arid and semi-arid areas containing acacia and chenopod shrublands. The species has a distinctive red throat patch and is able to mimic the calls of numerous other bird species.

== Taxonomy == The first formal description of the redthroat was by the English ornithologist and bird artist John Gould in 1841 under the present binomial name Pyrrholaemus brunneus. The name of the genus Pyrrholaemus is from classical Greek '''' meaning 'flame-coloured' or 'red' and '''' for 'throat'. The specific epithet '''' is modern Latin for 'brown'. The redthroat is a small passerine bird within the family Acanthizidae, also known as the Australasian warblers. The Acanthizidae were once regarded as a subfamily within the family Pardalotidae; although current revisions place the Acanthizidae in their own family, sister to the Pardalotidae. The species most closely related to the redthroat are the speckled warbler (Chthonicola sagittata), which was previously classified in the same genus as the redthroat (Pyrrholaemus), and the pilotbird (Pycnoptilus floccosus). Recent phylogenetic studies have found that this clade of species (Pyrrholaemus-Chthonicola-Pyncnoptilus) is sister to the heathwrens and fieldwrens (Hylacola-Calamanthus).