Poodytes

{{Short description|Genus of birds}}

{{automatic taxobox

| image = New Zealand Fernbird - Okarito, New Zealand.jpg

| image_caption = New Zealand fernbird

| taxon = Poodytes

| authority = Cabanis, 1851

| type_species = Sphenoeacus gramineus

| type_species_authority = Gould, 1845

}}

Poodytes is a genus of passerine birds in the grassbird family Locustellidae.

A molecular phylogenetic study of the grassbird family Locustellidae published in 2018 found that some of the genera, as then defined, were non-monophyletic. In the resulting rearrangement to create monophyletic genera, five species were moved from Megalurus to the resurrected genus Poodytes.{{ cite journal | last1=Alström | first1=P. | last2=Cibois | first2=A. | last3=Irestedt | first3=M. | last4=Zuccon | first4=D. | last5=Gelang | first5=M. | last6=Fjeldså | first6=J. | last7=Andersen | first7=M.J. | last8=Moyle | first8=R.G. | last9=Pasquet | first9=E. | last10=Olsson | first10=U. | year=2018 | title=Comprehensive molecular phylogeny of the grassbirds and allies (Locustellidae) reveals extensive non-monophyly of traditional genera, and a proposal for a new classification | journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution | volume=127 | pages=367–375 | doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2018.03.029 | pmid=29625229 | bibcode=2018MolPE.127..367A | s2cid=4645834 | url=https://zenodo.org/record/2587007 }} The genus had been introduced in 1851 by the German ornithologist Jean Cabanis to accommodate the little grassbird which is therefore the type species.{{ cite book | last=Cabanis | first=Jean | author-link=Jean Cabanis | year=1850–1851 | title=Museum Heineanum : Verzeichniss der ornithologischen Sammlung des Oberamtmann Ferdinand Heine, auf Gut St. Burchard vor Halberstadt | volume=1 | language=German, Latin | location=Halberstadt | publisher=R. Frantz | page=42 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/49584421 }}{{ cite book | editor1-last=Mayr | editor1-first=Ernst | editor1-link=Ernst Mayr | editor2-last=Cottrell | editor2-first=G. William | year=1986 | title=Check-list of Birds of the World | volume=11 | publisher=Museum of Comparative Zoology | place=Cambridge, Massachusetts | page=37 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/14483738 }} The genus name combines the Ancient Greek poa meaning "grass" with dutēs meaning "diver".{{cite book | last=Jobling | first=James A. | year=2010| title=The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names | publisher=Christopher Helm | location=London | isbn=978-1-4081-2501-4 | page=314 | url=https://archive.org/stream/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling#page/n314/mode/1up }}

The genus contains the following species:{{cite web| editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | year=2018 | title=Grassbirds, Donacobius, Malagasy warblers, cisticolas, allies | work=World Bird List Version 8.1 | url=http://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/grassbirds/ | publisher=International Ornithologists' Union | accessdate=13 July 2018 }}

• Fly River grassbird (Poodytes albolimbatus)
• Spinifexbird (Poodytes carteri)
• † Chatham Islands fernbird (Poodytes rufescens) (extinct)
• New Zealand fernbird (Poodytes punctatus)
• Little grassbird (Poodytes gramineus)