The bird which forms the genus _Chamæa_ inhabits California; and though allied to the wrens it has certain peculiarities of structure which, in the opinion of many ornithologists, require that it should be placed in a distinct family.
FAMILY 8.--CERTHIIDÆ. (6 Genera, 18 Species.)
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION. __________________________________/\__________________________________ / \ NEOTROPICAL| NEARCTIC |PALÆARCTIC | ETHIOPIAN | ORIENTAL | AUSTRALIAN SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS. -----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+------------ | | | | | -- -- -- --|-- -- 3 -- |1. 2. 3. 4 |-- -- -- --| 1 -- 3. 4 | 1.2 -- -- | | | | |
The Certhiidæ, or Creepers, form a small family whose species are thinly scattered over North America from Mexico, the Palæarctic region, parts of the Oriental region, and Australia, where they are somewhat more abundant. The distribution of the genera is as follows:
_Certhia_ (6 sp.), Nearctic and Palæarctic regions, Nepal, and Sikhim; _Salpornis_ (1 sp.), Central India; _Tichodroma_, (1 sp.), South { 265}Europe to Abyssinia, Nepal, and North China; _Rhabdornis_ (1 sp.), Philippine Islands; _Climacteris_ (8 sp.), Australia and New Guinea.
FAMILY 9.--SITTIDÆ. (6 Genera, 31 Species.)
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION. __________________________________/\__________________________________ / \ NEOTROPICAL| NEARCTIC |PALÆARCTIC | ETHIOPIAN | ORIENTAL | AUSTRALIAN SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS|SUB-REGIONS. -----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+------------ | | | | | -- -- -- --|1. 2. 3. 4 |1. 2. 3. 4 |-- -- -- --|1. 2. 3. 4 | 1. 2 -- 4 | | | | |
The Sittidæ, or Nuthatches, are another small family of tree-creeping birds, whose distribution is very similar to that of the Certhiidæ, but with a more uniform range over the Oriental region, and extending to New Zealand and Madagascar. The genera are as follows:--
_Sitta_ (17 sp.), Palæarctic and Nearctic regions to South India and Mexico; _Dendrophila_ (2 sp.), Ceylon and India to Burmah and Malaya; _Hypherpes_ (1 sp.), Madagascar; _Sittella_ (6 sp.), Australia and New Guinea. _Acanthisitta_ (1 sp.) and _Xenicus_ (4 sp.), New Zealand, are placed with some doubt in this family.