The barwings are the genus Actinodura of passerine birds in the family Leiothrichidae. They are found in the hills of Southern Asia, from Eastern India to China and Taiwan.
Taxonomy The genus Actinodura was introduced in 1836 by the English ornithologist John Gould with Actinodura egertoni Gould, 1836, the rusty-fronted barwing, as the type species. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek ακτινωδης/aktinōdēs meaning "like rays" with ουρα/oura meaning "tail".
The genus contains nine species:
Image Common name Scientific name Distribution Bar-throated minlaActinodura strigulacentral Nepal through India, southern China and Bhutan Spectacled barwing Actinodura ramsayiChina, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam Rusty-fronted barwing Actinodura egertoniSoutheast Asia from the Himalayas to north-eastern Myanmar Blue-winged minla Actinodura cyanouroptera Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Tibet, and Vietnam Hoary-throated barwing Actinodura nipalensis Bhutan, India, Tibet, and Nepal Black-crowned barwing Actinodura sodangorum Laos and Vietnam Streaked barwingActinodura soulieiChina and Vietnam Streak-throated barwing Actinodura waldeniwestern Yunnan, southern Tibet, Northeast India and Myanmar Taiwan barwing Actinodura morrisonianaTaiwan
References
Collar, N. J. & Robson C. 2007. Family Timaliidae (Babblers) pp. 70 – 291 in; del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. & Christie, D.A. eds. Handbook of the Birds of the World, Vol. 12. Picathartes to Tits and Chickadees. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.