The final decades of the 20th century saw a massive increase in the information available to taxonomists, particularly through the DNA-DNA hybridisation studies of Charles Sibley and colleagues. As a result, much revision of the traditional classifications has taken place. The family listing above follows the current official list from the Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds.
Several well-known families have been reclassified in recent years, among them:
The Dromaiidae (emus) ^ which are now part of Casuariidae.
The Ephthianuridae (Australian chats) which are clearly honeyeaters and part of the Meliphagidae.
The Acanthizidae which are now lumped with the Pardalotes and form part of the Pardalotidae. (The pardalotes may at some time be split off again, in which case "Acanthizidae" will apply to the remainder once again.)
The Grallinidae (Magpie-lark and Torrent Lark) which are part of the Dicruridae.
In consequence, the unrelated birds that fill that niche in the Americas and in Australia look and act as though they were close relatives.
Birds recently introduced by humans: some, like the European Goldfinch and greenfinch coexist happily, others such as European Common Starlings, Blackbirds and sparrows and the Indian Mynah are destructive vermin.
For a comprehensive listing, see the list of Australasianbirds, which includes the birds of Australia, New Zealand, and the Southern Ocean.
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