Within which superfamily are the New World warblers (Parulidae) scientifically classified?
Answer
Passeroidea
While the common name 'warbler' links birds globally, their precise scientific placement reveals deep evolutionary divisions. The New World warblers, categorized under the family Parulidae, are formally placed within the superfamily Passeroidea. This placement indicates a closer evolutionary relationship, shared by descent, with other passerine groups within that superfamily, such as sparrows, rather than with the Old World warbler lineage (Sylviidae). Modern genetic studies have been crucial in establishing these higher-level relationships, confirming that the American warblers share a more recent common ancestor with groups like sparrows than they do with their superficially similar European counterparts.
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