Acrocephalidae
Encyclopedia
Acrocephalidae is a family
of oscine passerine birds, in the superfamily Sylvioidea
.
The species in this family are usually rather large "warbler
s". Most are rather plain olivaceous brown above with much yellow to beige below. They are usually found in open woodland, reedbeds or tall grass. The family occurs mostly in southern to western Eurasia
and surroundings, but also ranging far into Pacific, with some species in Africa. The genus limits are seriously in need of revision; either most species should be moved into Acrocephalus, or the latter should be split up. However there is presently insufficient knowledge as to how.
Genus Acrocephalus
Marsh-warblers. About 35 species; para- or polyphyletic.
(Sub)Genus Iduna
(Sub)Genus Hippolais
Genus Chloropeta
Yellow warblers. 3 species.
Genus Nesillas
Brush warblers. 4 living species, 1 recently extinct.
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
of oscine passerine birds, in the superfamily Sylvioidea
Sylvioidea
Sylvioidea is a superfamily of passerine birds. It is one of at least three major clades within the Passerida along with the Muscicapoidea and Passeroidea. It contains about 1300 species including the Old World warblers, Old World babblers, swallows, larks, bulbuls and perhaps the tits...
.
The species in this family are usually rather large "warbler
Warbler
There are a number of Passeriformes called "warblers". They are not particularly closely related, but share some characteristics, such as being fairly small, vocal and insectivorous....
s". Most are rather plain olivaceous brown above with much yellow to beige below. They are usually found in open woodland, reedbeds or tall grass. The family occurs mostly in southern to western Eurasia
Eurasia
Eurasia is a continent or supercontinent comprising the traditional continents of Europe and Asia ; covering about 52,990,000 km2 or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...
and surroundings, but also ranging far into Pacific, with some species in Africa. The genus limits are seriously in need of revision; either most species should be moved into Acrocephalus, or the latter should be split up. However there is presently insufficient knowledge as to how.
Genus AcrocephalusAcrocephalusThe Acrocephalus warblers are small, insectivorous passerine birds belonging to the genus Acrocephalus. Formerly in the paraphyletic Old World warbler assemblage, they are now separated as the namesake of the marsh- and tree-warbler family Acrocephalidae...
Marsh-warblers. About 35 species; para- or polyphyletic.- Moustached WarblerMoustached WarblerThe Moustached Warbler, Acrocephalus melanopogon, is an Old World warbler in the genus Acrocephalus. It breeds in southern Europe and southern temperate Asia with a few in north-west Africa. It is partially migratory...
, Acrocephalus melanopogon - Aquatic WarblerAquatic WarblerThe Aquatic Warbler, Acrocephalus paludicola, is an Old World warbler in the genus Acrocephalus. It breeds in temperate eastern Europe and western Asia, with an estimated population of 15,000 pairs. It is migratory, wintering in west Africa...
, Acrocephalus paludicola - Sedge WarblerSedge WarblerThe Sedge Warbler is an Old World warbler in the genus Acrocephalus. It is a medium-sized warbler with a brown, streaked back and wings and a distinct pale supercilium. Sedge Warblers are migratory, crossing the Sahara to get from their European and Asian breeding grounds to spend winter in Africa...
, Acrocephalus schoenobaenus - Streaked Reed-warblerStreaked Reed-warblerThe Streaked Reed-warbler is a species of Old World warbler in the Acrocephalidae family .It is found in China and the Philippines.Its natural habitats are swamps and arable land....
, Acrocephalus sorghophilus - Black-browed Reed-warblerBlack-browed Reed-warblerThe Black-browed Reed-warbler is a species of marsh-warbler . It was formerly included in the "Old World warbler" assemblage....
, Acrocephalus bistrigiceps - Paddyfield WarblerPaddyfield WarblerThe Paddyfield Warbler, Acrocephalus agricola, is a species of marsh-warbler . It was formerly included in the "Old World warbler" assemblage. The Manchurian Reed-warbler was included in A. agricola as a subspecies.It breeds in temperate central Asia. It is migratory, wintering in Pakistan and...
, Acrocephalus agricola - Manchurian Reed-warblerManchurian Reed-warblerThe Manchurian Reed Warbler , also known as the Manchurian Reed-warbler, is a species of marsh-warbler . It was formerly included in the "Old World warbler" assemblage, and was usually treated as a subspecies of the Paddyfield Warbler...
, Acrocephalus tangorum - Blunt-winged WarblerBlunt-winged WarblerThe Blunt-winged Warbler is a species of marsh-warbler . It was formerly included in the "Old World warbler" assemblage....
, Acrocephalus concinens - Eurasian Reed Warbler, Acrocephalus scirpaceus
- Caspian Reed Warbler, Acrocephalus (scirpaceus) fuscus
- Mangrove Reed Warbler, Acrocephalus (scirpaceus) avicenniae
- African Reed Warbler, Acrocephalus baeticatus
- Blyth's Reed WarblerBlyth's Reed WarblerThe Blyth's Reed Warbler is an Old World warbler in the genus Acrocephalus. It breeds in temperate Asia and easternmost Europe. It is migratory, wintering in India and Sri Lanka. It is one of the most common winter warblers in those countries...
, Acrocephalus dumetorum - Marsh WarblerMarsh WarblerThe Marsh Warbler, Acrocephalus palustris, is an Old World warbler currently classified in the family Acrocephalidae. It breeds in temperate Europe and western Asia and winters mainly in south east Africa...
, Acrocephalus palustris - Great Reed WarblerGreat Reed WarblerThe Great Reed Warbler, Acrocephalus arundinaceus, is an Eurasiaan songbird in the genus Acrocephalus. It used to be placed in the "Old World warbler" assemblage, but nowadays is recognized to be part of the marsh- and tree-warbler family .-Description:This is a large thrush-sized warbler,...
, Acrocephalus arundinaceus - Oriental Reed-warblerOriental Reed-warblerThe Oriental Reed-warbler is a passerine bird of eastern Asia belonging to the reed-warbler genus Acrocephalus. It was formerly classified as a subspecies of the Great Reed-warbler of western Eurasia....
, Acrocephalus orientalis - Clamorous Reed-warblerClamorous Reed-WarblerThe Clamorous Reed Warbler is an Old World warbler in the genus Acrocephalus. It breeds from Egypt eastwards through Pakistan, Afghanistan and northernmost India to south China, southeast Asia and south to Australia...
, Acrocephalus stentoreus - Large-billed Reed-warblerLarge-billed Reed-warblerThe Large-billed Reed-warbler is an Old World warbler in the genus Acrocephalus. The species has been dubbed as "the world's least known bird". It was known from a single specimen collected in India in 1867 and rediscovered in the wild in Thailand in 2006...
, Acrocephalus orinus - Basra Reed-warblerBasra Reed-warblerThe Basra Reed Warbler is a "warbler" of the genus Acrocephalus. It is an endemic breeder in East and southern Iraq and Israel in extensive beds of papyrus and reeds. It is easily mistaken for the Great Reed Warbler but is a bit smaller, has whiter under parts and has a narrower, longer and more...
, Acrocephalus griseldis - Australian Reed-warblerAustralian Reed-WarblerThe Australian Reed-Warbler Acrocephalus australis is an Old World warbler in the genus Acrocephalus. It lives in reedbeds across Australia. It is about 16 centimetres long, and brown and buff in colour....
, Acrocephalus australis - Nightingale Reed-warblerNightingale Reed-warblerThe Nightingale Reed-warbler is a critically endangered songbird of the Mariana Islands. The Chamorro name for the bird is ga`ga` karisu ....
, Acrocephalus luscinia- Aguiguan Nightingale Reed-warbler, Acrocephalus luscinia nijoi - doubtfully distinct; extinct (c.1997)
- Astrolabe Nightingale Reed-warbler, Acrocephalus luscinia astrolabii - extinct (mid-19th century?)
- Pagan Nightingale Reed-warbler, Acrocephalus luscinia yamashinae - doubtfully distinct; extinct (1970s)
- Caroline Reed-warbler, Acrocephalus syrinx
- Nauru Reed-warbler, Acrocephalus rehsei
- MillerbirdMillerbirdThe Millerbird is a species of Old World warbler in the family Acrocephalidae. It had two subspecies, A. f. kingi and A f. familiaris. The latter, the Laysan Millerbird, became extinct sometime between 1916 and 1923. The former, the critically endangered Nihoa Millerbird, remains the only race...
, Acrocephalus familiaris- Laysan MillerbirdLaysan MillerbirdThe Laysan Millerbird was a subspecies of the Millerbird, similar in appearance to the remaining subspecies, the Nihoa Millerbird. Its dorsal side was brown, and its belly was grayish...
, Acrocephalus familiaris familiaris - extinct (late 1910s)
- Laysan Millerbird
- Christmas Island Warbler, Acrocephalus aequinoctialis
- Tahiti Reed-warbler, Acrocephalus caffer
- Huahine Reed-warbler, Acrocephalus caffer garretti - extinct (19th century?)
- Raiatea Reed-warbler, Acrocephalus caffer musae - extinct (19th century?)
- Tuamotu Reed-warblerTuamotu Reed-warblerThe Tuamotu Reed-warbler is a species of Old World warbler in the Acrocephalidae family.It is found only in French Polynesia.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 10 July 2007....
, Acrocephalus atyphus - Rimatara Reed-warblerRimatara Reed-warblerThe Rimatara Reed-warbler is a species of Old World warbler in the Acrocephalidae family.It is found only in French Polynesia.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and swamps.-Source:...
, Acrocephalus rimatarae - Pitcairn Reed-warbler, Acrocephalus vaughani
- Henderson Island Reed-warbler, Acrocephalus taiti
- Marquesan Reed-warblerMarquesan Reed-warblerThe Marquesan Reed-warbler is a species of Old World warbler in the Acrocephalidae family.It is found only in French Polynesia.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 10 July 2007....
, Acrocephalus mendanae - Cook Islands Reed-warblerCook Islands Reed-warblerThe Cook Reed Warbler or Cook Islands Reed Warbler is a species of Old World warbler in the Acrocephalidae family. It is found only in the Cook Islands. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, swamps, and rural gardens. It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:* BirdLife...
, Acrocephalus kerearako - Greater Swamp-warblerGreater Swamp-warblerThe Greater Swamp-warbler is a species of Old World warbler in the Acrocephalidae family.It is found in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Namibia,...
, Acrocephalus rufescens - Cape Verde Swamp-warbler, Acrocephalus brevipennis
- Lesser Swamp-warblerLesser Swamp-warblerThe Lesser Swamp Warbler or Cape Reed Warbler, Acrocephalus gracilirostris, is an Old World warbler in the genus Acrocephalus. It is a resident breeder in Africa from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Chad and Ethiopia south to South Africa...
, Acrocephalus gracilirostris - Madagascar Swamp-warblerMadagascar Swamp-warblerThe Madagascar Swamp-warbler is a species of Old World warbler in the Acrocephalidae family.It is found only in Madagascar.Its natural habitat is swamps.-References:...
, Acrocephalus newtoni - Thick-billed WarblerThick-billed WarblerThe Thick-billed Warbler is an Old World warbler that breeds in temperate east Asia. It is migratory, wintering in tropical south east Asia. It is a very rare vagrant to western Europe....
, Acrocephalus aedon - Rodrigues Brush-warbler, Acrocephalus rodericanus
- Seychelles WarblerSeychelles WarblerThe Seychelles Warbler , also known as Seychelles Brush-warbler, is a small songbird found on four granitic and corraline islands in the Seychelles. It is a greenish-brown bird with long legs and a long slender bill. It is primarily found in forested areas on the islands...
, Acrocephalus sechellensis
Genus Hippolais
Tree-warblers. 8 species; para- or polyphyletic.(Sub)Genus Iduna
- Booted WarblerBooted WarblerThe Booted Warbler is an Old World warbler in the tree warbler group. It was formerly considered to be conspecific with Sykes' Warbler, but the two are now usually both afforded species status...
, Hippolais caligata - Sykes' WarblerSykes' WarblerSykes' Warbler is an Old World warbler in the tree warbler family. It was formerly considered a subspecies of the Booted Warbler, but is now considered a full species. Its breeding range is from northeast Arabia to Afghanistan...
, Hippolais rama - Eastern Olivaceous WarblerEastern Olivaceous WarblerThe Eastern Olivaceous Warbler is a "warbler", formerly placed in the Old World warblers when these were a paraphyletic wastebin taxon. It is now considered a member of the acrocephaline warbelrs, Acrocephalidae, in the tree warbler genus Hippolais ...
, Hippolais pallida - Western Olivaceous WarblerWestern Olivaceous WarblerThe Western Olivaceous Warbler, also known as Isabelline Warbler, is a "warbler", formerly placed in the Old World warblers when these were a paraphyletic wastebin taxon. It is now considered a member of the acrocephaline warblers, Acrocephalidae, in the tree warbler genus Hippolais ...
, Hippolais opaca
(Sub)Genus Hippolais
- Upcher's WarblerUpcher's WarblerThe Upcher's Warbler, , is an Old World warbler in the tree warbler genus Hippolais. It breeds in an area from Turkey south and east to Pakistan...
, Hippolais languida - Olive-tree WarblerOlive-tree WarblerThe Olive-tree Warbler is an Old World warbler in the tree warbler genus Hippolais. It breeds in southeast Europe and the near east. It is migratory, wintering in eastern and southern Africa, from Kenya south to South Africa.This small passerine bird is a species found in open-canopy oakwoods,...
, Hippolais olivetorum - Melodious WarblerMelodious WarblerThe Melodious Warbler is an Old World warbler in the tree warbler genus Hippolais. It breeds in southwest Europe and northwest Africa. It is migratory, wintering in sub-Saharan Africa....
, Hippolais polyglotta - Icterine WarblerIcterine WarblerThe Icterine Warbler is an Old World warbler in the tree warbler genus Hippolais . It breeds in mainland Europe except the southwest, where it is replaced by its western counterpart, Melodious Warbler. It is migratory, wintering in sub-Saharan Africa...
, Hippolais icterina
Genus ChloropetaChloropetaChloropeta is a genus of Acrocephalidae warblers; formerly, they were placed in the paraphyletic "Old World warblers".It contains the following species:* Papyrus Yellow Warbler...
Yellow warblers. 3 species.- Yellow Flycatcher-warblerYellow Flycatcher-warblerThe Yellow Flycatcher-warbler is a species of Acrocephalidae warblers; formerly, these were placed in the paraphyletic "Old World warblers"....
, Chloropeta natalensis - Mountain Flycatcher-warblerMountain Flycatcher-warblerThe Mountain Flycatcher-warbler is a species of Acrocephalidae warblers; formerly, these were placed in the paraphyletic "Old World warblers"....
, Chloropeta similis - Papyrus Flycatcher-warblerPapyrus Flycatcher-warblerThe Papyrus Yellow Warbler is a species of Acrocephalidae warblers; formerly, these were placed in the paraphyletic "Old World warblers"....
, Chloropeta gracilirostris
Genus NesillasNesillasNesillas is a genus of Old World warbler in the Acrocephalidae family.It contains the following species:* Grand Comoro Brush-Warbler * Lantz's Brush-Warbler...
Brush warblers. 4 living species, 1 recently extinct.
- Aldabra Brush-warbler, Nesillas aldabrana (extinct: c.1984)
- Anjouan Brush-warblerAnjouan Brush-warblerThe Anjouan Brush-Warbler is a species of Old World warbler in the Acrocephalidae family.It is found in Comoros and Mayotte.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 10 July 2007....
, Nesillas longicaudata - Madagascar Brush-warblerMadagascar Brush-warblerThe Malagasy Brush Warbler , also known as the Madagascar Brush-Warbler, is a species of Old World warbler in the Acrocephalidae family. It is found in Comoros and Madagascar...
, Nesillas typica - Grand Comoro Brush-warblerGrand Comoro Brush-warblerThe Grand Comoro Brush-Warbler is a species of Old World warbler in the Acrocephalidae family.It is found in Comoros and Mayotte.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes.-References:...
, Nesillas brevicaudata - Moheli Brush-warblerMoheli Brush-warblerThe Moheli Brush-Warbler is a species of Old World warbler in the Acrocephalidae family.It is found only in Comoros.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes.-References:...
, Nesillas mariae