Accentors: Family Prunellidae

Members of the family Prunellidae include the Accentors and Dunnocks. They are sometimes inappropriately called House Sparrows or Robins, even though they are not related to true sparrows, or Thrushes. These birds are the only family of birds that live exclusively in the northeast hemisphere of the Earth, an zone called the palearctic. Accentors and Dunnocks make their habitat in grasslands and scrublands where there is low, shrubby vegetation to make their nest. Members of this family do not migrate long distances, so during the winter they feed on berries and other easily accessible foods, and during the summer they eat primarily insects that they gather while on the ground.

Non-Traditional Families

When biologists talk about reproduction at the taxonomic level, they will often refer to it as a breeding system , or courtship behavior. All animals behave a little differently when it comes to reproduction, and sometimes a courtship ritual can get very complex. Reproductive strategies can be classified into several broad categories. For example, an animal can be monogamus, like penguins, and only have one mate their whole life. Some animals can be polygynous, where one male reproduces with more than one female, or they can be polyandrous, where one female reproduces with more than one male.

One of the most unusual breeding systems on Earth is called polygyandry where two or more females exclusively mate with two or more males in the same breeding season. When this occurs the two most senior, or alpha individuals of each sex all mate with each other. The rest of the flock stays celibate until one of the four individuals dies. This type of system helps to make sure there is always someone around to help raise the chicks when one parent is not around. Some species of Accentors and Dunnocks are polygyandrous.

Generally, females in this family flaunt themselves by flicking their wings and tail feathers for the two most senior males. In one season, both males will breed with her multiple times. The two males will often compete with one another using similar courtship rituals and try to gain more access to the female than the other. Depending on the species, the males will not know who successfully impregnated the female, so both will help to raise chicks equally. Male Alpine Accentors will spend more time with the chicks if he reproduced with the female more than the other male.