Everything about Old World Warbler totally explained
The "
Old World Warblers", family
Sylviidae are a
family of small
passerine bird species; the names
sylviid warblers or
true warblers may be more appropriate. The Sylviidae mainly occur as breeding species, as the name implies, in
Europe,
Asia and, to a lesser extent
Africa. However, most birds of temperate regions are strongly
migratory, and winter in the latter continent or tropical Asia. Most are of generally undistinguished appearance, though some Asian species are boldly marked. The sexes are often identical, but may be well distinct for example in
Sylvia. Many are accomplished songbirds, though perhaps not as much as other
warblers or some
thrushes.
The American
wood warblers (Parulidae), the
Olive Warbler (Peucedramidae) and the stenostirid warblers or "flycatcher tits" (
Stenostiridae) are not closely related to the sylviids. The
Australian warblers (Acanthizidae), apart from also being
Passeri, are entirely unrelated.
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 being split out of the
Muscicapidae. The latter family had for most of its existence served as perhaps the ultimate
wastebin taxon on 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 do so.
Only after the mid-20th century did the dismantling of the "pan-Muscicapidae" begin in earnest. However, the Sylvidae 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 (for example 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 Sylvidae, 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 4, but probably as much as major 7 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.
Sylviidae
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 west coast of
North America.
- Genus Sylvia - typical warblers (c.20 species). Paraphyletic or contains Parisoma
Temperate Eurasian superspecies ("
atricapilla-borin group")
Blackcap, Sylvia atricapilla
Garden Warbler, Sylvia borin
Parisoma superspecies
Banded Warbler, Parisoma boehmi
Layard's Warbler, Parisoma layardi
Rufous-vented Warbler, Parisoma subcaeruleum
curruca clade
Brown Warbler, Parisoma lugens
Yemen Warbler, Sylvia buryi - sometimes placed in Parisoma
Red Sea Warbler, Sylvia leucomelaena
(Western) Orphean Warbler, Sylvia hortensis
- Eastern Orphean Warbler, Sylvia (hortensis) crassirostris
Lesser Whitethroat, Sylvia curruca
Hume's Whitethroat, Sylvia althaea
Small Whitethroat, Sylvia minula
- Margelanic Whitethroat, Sylvia (minula) margelanica
communis-melanocephala assemblage
Barred Warbler, Sylvia nisoria - tentatively place here
Asian Desert Warbler, Sylvia nana
African Desert Warbler, Sylvia deserti
Whitethroat, Sylvia communis
Spectacled Warbler, Sylvia conspicillata
Tristram's Warbler, Sylvia deserticola
Dartford Warbler, Sylvia undata
Marmora's Warbler, Sylvia sarda
- Balearic Warbler, Sylvia (sarda) balearica
Rüppell's Warbler, Sylvia rueppelli
Cyprus Warbler, Sylvia melanothorax
(Western) Subalpine Warbler, Sylvia cantillans
- Eastern Subalpine Warbler, Sylvia (cantillans) albistriata
- Moltoni's Warbler, Sylvia (cantillans) moltonii
Sardinian Warbler, Sylvia melanocephala
- Sylvia (melanocephala) momus
- Fayyum Warbler, Sylvia melanocephala/momus norissae - doubtfully distinct, extinct (c.1940)
Menetries' Warbler, Sylvia mystacea
Genus Parisoma - paraphyletic with Sylvia?
Genus Pseudoalcippe - formerly in Illadopsis (Timaliidae)
Genus Rhopophilus - formerly in Cisticolidae
Genus Lioparus - formerly in Alcippe (Timaliidae)
Genus Paradoxornis - parrotbills (18 species). Formerly in Paradoxornithidae; polyphyletic
Genus Conostoma - formerly in Paradoxornithidae; tentatively placed here
Genus Fulvetta - typical fulvettas (7 species). Formerly in Alcippe (Timaliidae)
Genus Chrysomma - formerly in Timaliidae
Genus Chamaea - Wrentit
Genus Graminicola
Genus Bathmocercus - rufous-warblers
Genus Sceptomycter - sometimes merged into Bathmocercus. Cisticolidae?
Genus Poliolais - Cisticolidae or more basal like bulbuls?
Two to 14 of the 15 tailorbirds
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, reedbeds 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's presently insufficient knowledge as to how.
Genus Acrocephalus - marsh-warblers (about 35 species)
Genus Hippolais - tree warblers (8 species)
Genus Chloropeta - yellow warblers
See Cibois et al. (2001)
Genus Thamnornis
Genus Cryptosylvicola
Grass warblers and allies or megalurid warblers. Mid-sized and usually long-tailed species; sometimes strongly patterned but generally very drab in overall coloration. Often forage on the ground. Old World and into Australian region, centred around Indian Ocean; possibly also one species in South America. A not too robustly supported clade that requires further study.
Genus Bradypterus - Megalurid bush-warblers (more than 20 species). Paraphyletic with at least one species ("B." victorini) not belonging into this family.
Genus Locustella - grass warblers (9 species)
Genus Megalurus - typical grassbirds. Probably polyphyletic
The Black-capped Donacobius Donacobius atricapillus which was long considered an aberrant wren might constitute the only American species of this family.
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
Genus Hylia - tentatively placed here
Genus Abroscopus - Abroscopus warblers
Genus Erythrocercus - monarch-warblers. Formerly Monarchinae.
Chestnut-capped Flycatcher Erythrocercus mccallii
Yellow Flycatcher Erythrocercus holochlorus
Livingstone's Flycatcher Erythrocercus livingstonei
Genus Urosphena - stubtails
Genus Tesia - tesias
Genus Cettia - typical bush-warblers (some 15 species). Polyphyletic.
Genus Tickellia
Genus Phyllergates
Genus Leptopoecile - tit-warblers. Tentatively placed there.
Leaf-warblers or phylloscopid warblers. A group very variable in size, often vivid green coloration 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). Polyphyletic.
Genus Seicercus - polyphyletic
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
Genus Melocichla
Genus Achaetops
Genus Sphenoeacus
Genus N.N. - formerly Bradypterus (now Megaluridae)
Genus Macrosphenus - longbills
Entirely unrelated songbirds hitherto placed in Sylviidae
Genus Stenostira - Together with some "odd flycatchers", they form the new family Stenostiridae. They are closely related to Paridae (Beresford et al. 2005)
Genus Hyliota - hyliotas. Basal Passerida with no known relatives, perhaps somewhat closer to Promeropidae (sugarbirds)
Genus Newtonia - newtonias. Now in Vangidae (vangas); possibly polyphyletic (Yamagishi et al. 2001)
"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 - emu-tails. Megaluridae?
Genus Nesillas - brush warblers. Malagasy warblers?
Genus Phyllolais - Cisticolidae?
Genus Graueria
Genus Eremomela - eremomelas. Cettiidae?
Genus Randia - Malagasy warblers?
Genus Hemitesia
Genus Amaurocichla - Timaliidae or Sylviidae?
Genus Bowdleria - fernbirds. Sometimes merged into Megalurus. Megaluridae?
Genus Chaetornis - Bristled Grassbird. Megaluridae?
Genus Schoenicola - grassbirds. Basal Megaluridae?
Genus Cincloramphus - songlarks. Basal Megaluridae?
Genus Eremiornis - probably Megaluridae
Genus Buettikoferella - probably Megaluridae
Genus Megalurulus - thicketbirds. Probably Megaluridae
Genus Trichocichla - Long-legged Warbler.Further Information
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