Roberts's warbler
| Roberts's warbler | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Cisticolidae |
| Genus: | Oreophilais Clancey, 1991 |
| Species: | O. robertsi
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| Binomial name | |
| Oreophilais robertsi (Benson, 1946)
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general range: the montane forest-grassland mosaic
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| Synonyms | |
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Roberts's warbler (Oreophilais robertsi), also known as Roberts' prinia, briar warbler or brier warbler, is a species of passerine bird belonging to the family Cisticolidae. This species is endemic to the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forest and subtropical or tropical moist shrubland. It is the only species in the genus Oreophilias.
Taxonomy[edit]
Roberts's warbler was first formally described as Prinia robertsi in 1946 by the British ornithologist Constantine Walter Benson, although it had originally been identified as a distinct species at Mount Selinda by Charles Swynnerton in 1906.[2] Benson gave the type locality as Vumba.[3] In 1991 Phillip Clancey proposed the new monospecific genus Oreophilias as, among other features which differed, this species had 8 tail feathers rather than the 10 present in species in the genus Prinia.[4] Roberts's warbler belongs to the family Cisticolidae, which includes the cisticolas, prinias, apalises, tailorbirds, eremomelas and other groups of “African” warblers, formerly classified within the Old World warbler family Sylviidae.[5]
Etymology[edit]
Roberts's warbler has the genus name Oreophiilias which Clancey explained as combining oreophil, being Greek meaning "mountain-loving", with lais, which is derived from hypolais, a small warbler-like songbird.[4] The specific name honours the South African ornithologist Austin Roberts in recognition of his contribution to the ornithology of southern Africa.[3]
Description[edit]
Roberts's warbler resembles the related species in the genus Prinia in being long-tailed warbler-like birds. This species differs from that genus by 8 rather than 10 feathers in the tail which has a more stepped profile than the graduated profile of Prinia.[4] It is a dark-grey warbler which bears the closest resemblance to is the tawny-flanked prinia (P. subflava) but differs in having a grey throat, pale eye and lake of brown edges to feathers of the upperparts.[6] The upperpart of the head with the rest of the upperparts being dull olive brown, the flight feathers of the wing are dark brown and the tail is brown.[3] The underparts are grey to rufous grey and are paler in the non breeding season and in the juveniles the eye is dark.. The length of Roberts's warbler is 13 to 14 cm (5.1 to 5.5 in).[7]
References[edit]
- ^ BirdLife International (2016). "Oreophilais robertsi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22713663A94385288. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22713663A94385288.en. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
- ^ "Brier Warbler" (PDF). South African Bird Atlas Project 1. SABAP. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
- ^ a b c C. W. Benson (1946). "A new Longtail from Southern Rhodesia". Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club. 66: 52.
- ^ a b c P. A. Clancey (1991). "The generic status of Roberts' prinia of the south-eastern Afrotropics". Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club. 111: 217–222.
- ^ Alström P.; P.G.P. Ericson; U. Olsson; and P. Sundberg (2006). "Phylogeny and classification of the avian superfamily Sylvioidea". Molecular Phylogenetic Evolution. 38 (2): 381–397. Bibcode:2006MolPE..38..381A. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2005.05.015.
- ^ Ian Sinclair; Phil Hockey; Warwick Tarboton (2002). SASOL Bird of Southern Africa (3 ed.). Struik. p. 352. ISBN 1868727211.
- ^ Sinclair, Ian; Ryan, Peter (2003). Birds of Africa south of the Sahara. Struik. p. 524. ISBN 1-86872-857-9.
- Ryan, Peter. (2006). Family Cisticolidae (Cisticolas and allies). pp. 378–492 in del Hoyo J., Elliott A. & Christie D.A. (2006) Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 11. Old World Flycatchers to Old World Warblers Lynx Edicions, Barcelona ISBN 978-84-96553-06-4
External links[edit]
- Roberts's warbler - Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds.
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