polioptilinæ

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. A subfamily of birds, represented by the genus Polioptila, formerly referred to the Paridæ, now associated with the sylviine Passeres. The bill is muscicapine, with well-developed rictal bristles and exposed nostrils; the tarsi are scutellate; the toes are short; the primaries are ten, the first of which is spurious; the wings are rounded; and the tail is graduated. The size is very small, and the coloration is bluish-gray above, white below, the tail black, with white lateral feathers.