Old World warbler

Old World warblers are a large group of birds formerly grouped together in the bird family Sylviidae. They are not closely related to the New World warblers. The family held over 400 species in over 70 genera, and were the source of much taxonomic confusion. Two families were split out initially, the cisticolas into Cisticolidae and the kinglets into Regulidae. In the past ten years they have been the subject of much research and many species are now placed into other families, including the Acrocephalidae, Cettiidae, Phylloscopidae, and Megaluridae. In addition some species have been moved into existing families or have not yet had their placement fully resolved. A smaller number of warblers, together with some babblers formerly placed in the family Timaliidae and the parrotbills, are retained in a much smaller family Sylviidae.
Characteristics
Most Old World warblers are of generally undistinguished appearance, though some Asian species are boldly marked. The sexes are often identical, but may be clearly distinct, notably in the genus Sylvia. They are of small to medium size, varying from 9 to 16 centimetres in length, with a small, finely pointed bill. Almost all species are primarily insectivorous, although some will also eat fruit, nectar, or tiny seeds.
The majority of species are monogamous and build simple, cup-shaped nests in dense vegetation. They lay between two and six eggs per clutch, depending on species. Both parents typically help in raising the young, which are able to fly at around two weeks of age.
Systematics
In the late 20th century, the Sylviidae were thought to unite nearly 300 small insectivorous bird species in nearly 50 genera. They had themselves been split out of the Muscicapidae. The latter family had for most of its existence served as perhaps the ultimate wastebin taxon in the history of ornithology. By the early 20th century, about every insectivorous Old World "songster" known to science had at one point been placed therein, and most continued to be so.
Only after the mid-20th century did the dismantling of the "pan-Muscicapidae" begin in earnest. However, the Sylviidae remained a huge family, with few clear patterns of relationships recognisable. Though by no means as diverse as the Timaliidae (Old World babblers) (another "wastebin taxon" containing more thrush-like forms), the frontiers between the former "pan-Muscicapidae" were much blurred. The largely southern warbler family Cisticolidae was traditionally included in the Sylviidae. The kinglets, a small genus in a monotypic family Regulidae, were also frequently placed in this family. The American Ornithologists' Union includes the gnatcatchers, as subfamily Polioptilinae, in the Sylviidae.
Sibley & Ahlquist (1990) united the "Old World warblers" with the babblers and other taxa in a superfamily Sylvioidea as a result of DNA–DNA hybridisation studies. This demonstrated that the Muscicapidae as initially defined were a form taxon which collected entirely unrelated songbirds. Consequently, the monophyly of the individual "songster" lineages themselves was increasingly being questioned.
More recently, analysis of DNA sequence data has provided information on the Sylvioidea. Usually, the scope of the clade was vastly underestimated and only one or two specimens were sampled for each presumed "family". Minor or little-known groups such as the parrotbills were left out entirely (e.g. Ericson & Johansson 2003, Barker et al. 2004). These could only confirm that the Cisticolidae were indeed distinct, and suggested that bulbuls (Pycnonotidae) were apparently the closest relatives of a group containing Sylviidae, Timaliidae, cisticolids and white-eyes.
In 2003, a study of Timaliidae relationships (Cibois 2003a) using mtDNA cytochrome b and 12S/16S rRNA data indicated that the Sylviidae and Old World babblers were not reciprocally monophyletic to each other. Moreover, Sylvia, the type genus of the Sylviidae, turned out to be closer to taxa such as the yellow-eyed babbler (Chrysomma sinense) (traditionally held to be an atypical timaliid) and the wrentit (Chamaea fasciata), an enigmatic species generally held to be the only American Old World babbler. The parrotbills, formerly considered a family Paradoxornithidae (roughly, "puzzling birds") of unclear affiliations also were part of what apparently was a well distinctive clade.
Cibois suggested that the Sylviidae should officially be suppressed by the ICZN as a taxon and the genus Sylvia merged into the Timaliidae (Cibois 2003b), but doubts remained. Clearly, the sheer extent of the groups concerned made it necessary to study a wide range of taxa. This was begun by Beresford et al. (2005) and Alström et al. (2006). They determined that the late-20th-century Sylviidae united at least four, but probably as many as seven major distinct lineages. The authors propose the creation of several new families (Phylloscopidae, Cettiidae, Acrocephalidae, Megaluridae) to better reflect the evolutionary history of the sylvioid group.
The Sylviidae, in turn, receive several taxa from other families. Nonetheless, the now-monophyletic family has shrunk by nearly 80% for the time being, now containing 55 species in 10 genera at least. It is entirely likely however that with further research, other taxa from those still incertae sedis among its former contents, the Timaliidae, the Cisticolinae, or even the Muscicapidae will be moved into this group.
Species
Family Sylviidae sensu stricto
True warblers (or sylviid warblers) and parrotbills. A fairly diverse group of smallish taxa with longish tails. Mostly in Asia, to a lesser extent in Africa. A few range into Europe; one monotypic genus on the west coast of North America.
Genus Sylvia – typical warblers (6 species)
Eurasian blackcap, Sylvia atricapilla
Garden warbler, Sylvia borin
Dohrn's warbler, Sylvia dohrni
Abyssinian catbird, Sylvia galinieri
Bush blackcap, Sylvia nigricapillus
African hill babbler, Sylvia abyssinica
Genus Curruca – 27 species. Formerly in Sylvia (Sylviidae)
Barred warbler, Curruca nisoria
Layard's warbler, Curruca layardi
Banded parisoma, Curruca boehmi
Chestnut-vented warbler, Curruca suboerulea
Desert whitethroat, Curruca minula
Lesser whitethroat, Curruca curruca
Hume's whitethroat, Curruca althaea
Brown parisoma, Curruca lugens
Yemen warbler, Curruca buryi
Arabian warbler, Curruca leucomelaena
Western orphean warbler, Curruca hortensis
Eastern orphean warbler, Curruca crassirostris
African desert warbler, Curruca deserti
Asian desert warbler, Curruca nana
Tristram's warbler, Curruca deserticola
Menetries's warbler, Curruca mystacea
Rüppell's warbler, Curruca ruppeli
Cyprus warbler, Curruca melanothorax
Sardinian warbler, Curruca melanocephala
Western subalpine warbler, Curruca iberiae
Moltoni's warbler, Curruca subalpina
Eastern subalpine warbler, Curruca cantillans
Common whitethroat, Curruca communis
Spectacled warbler, Curruca conspicillata
Marmora's warbler, Curruca sarda
Dartford warbler, Curruca undata
Balearic warbler, Curruca balearica
Moved to family Paradoxornithidae
Genus Lioparus – golden-breasted fulvetta
Genus Chrysomma
Yellow-eyed babbler, Chrysomma sinense
Jerdon's babbler, Chrysomma altirostre
Genus Rhopophilus
Tarim babbler, Rhopophilus albosuperciliaris
Beijing babbler, Rhopophilus pekinensis
Genus Fulvetta
Spectacled fulvetta, Fulvetta ruficapilla
Indochinese fulvetta, Fulvetta danisi
Chinese fulvetta, Fulvetta striaticollis
White-browed fulvetta, Fulvetta vinipectus
Brown-throated fulvetta, Fulvetta ludlowi
Manipur fulvetta, Fulvetta manipurensis
Grey-hooded fulvetta, Fulvetta cinereiceps
Genus Chamea – wrentit
Genus Paradoxornis
Black-breasted parrotbill, Paradoxornis flavirostris
Spot-breasted parrotbill, Paradoxornis guttaticollis
Genus Conostoma – great parrotbill
Moved to family Pellorneidae
Genus Graminicola
Rufous-rumped grassbird ("-babbler") Graminicola bengalensis
Moved to family Cisticolidae
Genus Bathmocercus – rufous-warblers
Black-capped rufous-warbler, Bathmocercus cerviniventris
Black-faced rufous-warbler, Bathmocercus rufus
Genus Sceptomycter – sometimes merged into Bathmocercus. Cisticolidae?
Mrs Moreau's warbler, Sceptomycter winifredae
Genus Poliolais – Cisticolidae or more basal like bulbuls?
White-tailed warbler, Poliolais lopezi
Two to 14 of the 15 tailorbirds
Moved to family Acrocephalidae
Marsh and tree warblers or acrocephalid warblers. Usually rather large "warblers", most are olivaceous brown above with much yellow to beige below. Usually in open woodland, reed beds or tall grass. Mainly southern Asia to western Europe and surroundings ranging far into Pacific, some in Africa. The genus limits are seriously in need of revision; either most species are moved into Acrocephalus, or the latter is split up though there is presently insufficient knowledge as to how.
Genus Acrocephalus – marsh warblers (about 35 species)
Genus Hippolais – tree warblers (8 species)
Genus Chloropeta – yellow warblers (3 species)
Genus Nesillas – brush warblers (4 living species, 1 recently extinct)
Moved to Malagasy warblers
See Cibois et al. (2001)
Genus Thamnornis
Thamnornis, Thamnornis chloropetoides
Genus Cryptosylvicola
Cryptic warbler, Cryptosylvicola randriansoloi
Moved to family Locustellidae
Grass warblers and allies. Mid-sized and usually long-tailed species; sometimes strongly patterned but generally very drab in overall colouration. Often forage on the ground. Old World and into Australian region, centred on the Indian Ocean; possibly also one species in South America. A not too robustly supported clade that requires further study.
Genus Bradypterus – megalurid bush-warblers (11 species)
Genus Locustella – grass warblers (more than 20 species)
Genus Megalurus – typical grassbirds (10 species)
Genus Amphilais – grey emutail
Genus Elaphrornis – Sri Lanka bush warbler
Genus Schoenicola – (2 species)
Genus Buettikoferella – buff-banded thicketbird
Genus Chaetornis – bristled grassbird
The black-capped donacobius, Donacobius atricapillus, which was long considered an aberrant wren or mockingbird is apparently quite closely related, and might possibly be considered the only American species of this family.
Moved to family Cettiidae
Typical bush warblers and relatives or cettiid warblers. Another group of generally very drab species, tend to be smaller and shorter-tailed than Megaluridae. Usually frequent shrubland and undergrowth. Continental Asia, and surrounding regions, ranging into Africa and southern Europe.
Genus Pholidornis – formerly in Remizidae; tentatively placed here
Tit hylia, Pholidornis rushiae
Genus Hylia – tentatively placed here
Green hylia, Hylia prasina
Genus Abroscopus – Abroscopus warblers
Rufous-faced warbler, Abroscopus albogularis
Yellow-bellied warbler, Abroscopus superciliaris
Black-faced warbler, Abroscopus schisticeps
Genus Erythrocercus – monarch-warblers. Formerly Monarchinae.
Chestnut-capped flycatcher, Erythrocercus mccallii
Little yellow flycatcher, Erythrocercus holochlorus
Livingstone's flycatcher, Erythrocercus livingstonei
Genus Urosphena – stubtails
Timor stubtail, Urosphena subulata
Babar stubtail, Urosphena subulata advena – extinct (mid-20th century)
Bornean stubtail, Urosphena whiteheadi
Asian stubtail, Urosphena squameiceps
Pale-footed bush warbler, Urosphena pallidipes
Neumann's warbler, Urosphena neumanni
Genus Tesia – tesias
Javan tesia, tesia superciliaris
Slaty-bellied tesia, Tesia olivea
Grey-bellied tesia, Tesia cyaniventer
Russet-capped tesia, Tesia everetti
Genus Horornis – bush warblers (some 13 species).
Genus Cettia – bush warblers (4 species).
Genus Tickellia
Broad-billed warbler, Tickellia hodgsoni
Genus Phyllergates
Mountain tailorbird, Phyllergates cucullatus
Rufous-headed tailorbird, Phyllergates heterolaemus
Moved to family Aegithalidae
Genus Leptopoecile – tit-warblers. Tentatively placed there.
White-browed tit-warbler, Leptopoecile sophiae
Crested tit-warbler, Leptopoecile elegans
Moved to family Phylloscopidae
Leaf warblers or phylloscopes. A group very variable in size, often vivid green colouration above and yellow below, or more subdued with greyish-green to greyish-brown plumage. Catch food on the wing fairly often. Eurasia, ranging into Wallacea and Africa.
Genus Phylloscopus – leaf warblers (c. 55 species). (includes former genus Seicercus)
Green-crowned warbler, Phylloscopus burkii
Grey-crowned warbler, Phylloscopus tephrocephalus
Whistler's warbler, Phylloscopus whistleri
Bianchi's warbler, Phylloscopus valentini
Martens's warbler, Phylloscopus omeiensis
Alström's warbler, Seicercus soror
White-spectacled warbler, Phylloscopus affinis – paraphyletic
Bar-winged white-spectacled warbler, Seicercus (affinis) intermedius
Grey-cheeked warbler, Phylloscopus poliogenys
Chestnut-crowned warbler, Phylloscopus castaniceps
Yellow-breasted warbler, Phylloscopus montis
Sunda warbler, Phylloscopus grammiceps
Moved to family Macrosphenidae
African warblers. Also "Sphenoeacus group". An assemblage of usually species-poor and apparently rather ancient "odd warblers" from Africa. Ecomorphologically quite variable. Monophyly requires confirmation.
Genus Sylvietta – crombecs
Green crombec, Sylvietta virens
Lemon-bellied crombec, Sylvietta denti
White-browed crombec, Sylvietta leucophrys
Chapin's crombec, Sylvietta (leucophrys) chapini – possibly extinct (late 20th century?)
Northern crombec, Sylvietta brachyura
Philippa's crombec, Sylvietta philippae
Red-capped crombec, Sylvietta ruficapilla
Red-faced crombec, Sylvietta whytii
Somali crombec, Sylvietta isabellina
Long-billed crombec, Sylvietta rufescens
Genus Melocichla
Moustached grass warbler, Melocichla mentalis
Genus Achaetops
Rockrunner, Achaetops pycnopygius
Genus Sphenoeacus
Cape grassbird, Sphenoeacus afer
Genus Cryptillas.
Victorin's warbler, Cryptillas victorini
Genus Macrosphenus – longbills
Kemp's longbill, Macrosphenus kempi
Yellow longbill, Macrosphenus flavicans
Grey longbill, Macrosphenus concolor
Pulitzer's longbill, Macrosphenus pulitzeri
Kretschmer's longbill, Macrosphenus kretschmeri
"Sylviidae" incertae sedis
Taxa that have not been studied. Most are likely to belong to one of Sylvioidea families listed above. Those in the Australian-Pacific region are probably Megaluridae. These taxa are listed in the sequence used in recent years.
Genus Dromaeocercus – emutails. Locustelidae?
Brown emutail, Dromaeocercus brunneus
Grey emutail, Dromaeocercus seebohmi – sometimes separated in Amphilais
Genus Phyllolais – Cisticolidae?
Buff-bellied warbler, Phyllolais pulchella
Genus Graueria
Grauer's warbler, Graueria vittata
Genus Eremomela – eremomelas. Cettiidae?
Salvadori's eremomela, Eremomela salvadorii
Yellow-vented eremomela, Eremomela flavicrissalis
Yellow-bellied eremomela, Eremomela icteropygialis
Senegal eremomela, Eremomela canescens
Green-backed eremomela, Eremomela pusilla
Green-capped eremomela, Eremomela scotops
Yellow-rumped eremomela, Eremomela gregalis
Rufous-crowned eremomela, Eremomela badiceps
Turner's eremomela, Eremomela turneri
Western Turner's eremomela, Eremomela turneri kalindei – probably extinct (early 1980s?)
Black-necked eremomela, Eremomela atricollis
Burnt-neck eremomela, Eremomela usticollis
Genus Randia – Malagasy warblers?
Rand's warbler, Randia pseudozosterops
Genus Bowdleria – fernbirds. Sometimes merged into Megalurus. Locustellidae?
Fernbird, Bowdleria punctata
Chatham fernbird, Bowdleria rufescens – extinct (c. 1900)
Genus Chaetornis – bristled grassbird. Locustellidae?
Genus Schoenicola – grassbirds. Basal Locustellidae?
Broad-tailed grassbird, Schoenicola platyura
Fan-tailed grassbird, Schoenicola brevirostris
Genus Cincloramphus – songlarks. Basal Locustellidae?
Brown songlark, Cincloramphus cruralis
Rufous songlark, Cincloramphus mathewsi
Genus Buettikoferella – probably Locustellidae
Buff-banded bushbird, Buettikoferella bivittata
Genus Megalurulus – thicketbirds. Probably Locustellidae
New Caledonian grassbird, Megalurulus mariei
Bismarck thicketbird, Megalurulus grosvenori
Bougainville thicketbird, Megalurulus llaneae
Santo thicketbird, Megalurulus whitneyi
Rusty thicketbird, Megalurulus rubiginosus
Genus Trichocichla – long-legged warbler
Not in Sylvioidea
Entirely unrelated songbirds hitherto placed in Sylviidae
Genus Amaurocichla – Apparently a Passeroidea; very close to, or part of the Motacillidae
Bocage's longbill or São Tomé short-tail, Amaurocichla bocagei
Genus Stenostira – Together with some "odd flycatchers", they form the new family Stenostiridae. They are closely related to Paridae (Beresford et al. 2005)
Fairy flycatcher, Stenostira scita
Genus Hyliota – hyliotas. Basal Passerida with no known relatives, perhaps somewhat closer to Promeropidae (sugarbirds)
Yellow-bellied hyliota, Hyliota flavigaster
Southern hyliota, Hyliota australis
Usambara hyliota, Hyliota usambarae
Violet-backed hyliota, Hyliota violacea
Genus Newtonia – newtonias. Now in Vangidae (vangas); possibly polyphyletic (Yamagishi et al. 2001)
Dark newtonia, Newtonia amphichroa
Common newtonia, Newtonia brunneicauda
Archbold's newtonia, Newtonia archboldi
Red-tailed newtonia, Newtonia fanovanae – tentatively placed here
See also
List of extinct birds
Notes
References
Baker, K. (1997). Warblers of Europe, Asia, and North Africa. Helm .
Supporting information
Electronic appendix
{{cite journal | last1 = Cibois | first1 = A. | year = 2003b | title = Sylvia is a babbler: taxonomic implications for the families Sylviidae and Timaliidae | journal = Bull. B. O. C. | volume = 123 | pages = 257–261 }}
del Hoyo, J.; Elliot, A. & Christie D. (editors). (2006). Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 11: Old World Flycatchers to Old World Warblers. Lynx Edicions. .
Shirihai, H., Gargallo, G., & Helbig, A. J. (2001). Sylvia Warblers. Helm .
Sibley, C. G. & Ahlquist, J. E. (1990). Phylogeny and classification of birds. Yale University Press, New Haven, Conn.
Simms, E. (1985). British warblers''. Collins, London. .
External links
Old World warblers videos on the Internet Bird Collection
Bird common names