Apalis
Encyclopedia
The apalises are small passerine
bird
s belonging to the genus
Apalis. They are found in forest, woodlands and scrub across most parts of sub-Saharan
Africa
. They are slender birds with long tails and have a slender bill for catching insects. They are typically brown, grey or green above and several species have brightly coloured underparts. Males and females are usually similar in appearance but the males are sometimes brighter.
Apalises were traditionally classified in the Old World warbler
family Sylviidae but are now commonly placed, together with several other groups of mainly African warblers, in a separate family Cisticolidae
.
There are at least 21 species of apalis, the exact number varies according to differing authorities. The African Tailorbird
and Long-billed Tailorbird
were formerly considered to be apalises but are now often placed either with the tailorbird
s (Orthotomus) or in their own genus Artisornis
. The Red-fronted Warbler
or Red-faced Apalis has also been moved into a different genus, either Spiloptila or Urorhipis. Further shuffling may be necessary as a recent study found the genus to be polyphyletic with two species (Black-collared and Ruwenzori Apalis') only distantly related to the other three tested. Future studies may result in further division of the genus.
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s belonging to the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Apalis. They are found in forest, woodlands and scrub across most parts of sub-Saharan
Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa as a geographical term refers to the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara. A political definition of Sub-Saharan Africa, instead, covers all African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara...
Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. They are slender birds with long tails and have a slender bill for catching insects. They are typically brown, grey or green above and several species have brightly coloured underparts. Males and females are usually similar in appearance but the males are sometimes brighter.
Apalises were traditionally classified in the Old World warbler
Old World warbler
The "Old World Warblers" is the name used to describe a large group of birds formerly grouped together in the bird family Sylviidae. 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...
family Sylviidae but are now commonly placed, together with several other groups of mainly African warblers, in a separate family Cisticolidae
Cisticolidae
The Cisticolidae family of small passerine birds is a group of about 110 warblers found mainly in warmer southern regions of the Old World. They are often included within the Old World warbler family Sylviidae....
.
There are at least 21 species of apalis, the exact number varies according to differing authorities. The African Tailorbird
African Tailorbird
The Red-capped Forest Warbler , also known as the African Tailorbird, is a songbird of the family Cisticolidae, formerly part of the "Old World warbler" assemblage. It is found in Mozambique and Tanzania. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.-References:* BirdLife...
and Long-billed Tailorbird
Long-billed Tailorbird
The Long-billed Forest Warbler , also known as the Long-billed Tailorbird, is a songbird of the family Cisticolidae, formerly part of the "Old World warbler" assemblage. It is found in Mozambique and Tanzania. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened...
were formerly considered to be apalises but are now often placed either with the tailorbird
Tailorbird
Tailorbirds are small birds belonging to the genus Orthotomus often placed in the Old World warbler family Sylviidae. However, recent research suggests they more likely belong in the Cisticolidae and they are treated as such in Del Hoyo et al....
s (Orthotomus) or in their own genus Artisornis
Artisornis
Artisornis is a genus of bird in the Cisticolidae family. It contains the following species:* Red-capped Forest Warbler, Artisornis metopias* Long-billed Tailorbird, Artisornis moreaui-References:...
. The Red-fronted Warbler
Red-fronted Warbler
The Red-fronted Warbler or Red-faced Apalis is a species of bird in the Cisticolidae family.It is found in Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.Its natural habitat is dry savanna....
or Red-faced Apalis has also been moved into a different genus, either Spiloptila or Urorhipis. Further shuffling may be necessary as a recent study found the genus to be polyphyletic with two species (Black-collared and Ruwenzori Apalis') only distantly related to the other three tested. Future studies may result in further division of the genus.
Species list
- Black-collared ApalisBlack-collared ApalisThe Black-collared Apalis is a species of bird in the Cisticolidae family. Formerly in genus Apalis, Nguembock et al. moved species to a new genus, Oreolais. It is found in Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Nigeria, Sudan, and Uganda.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . ...
, Apalis pulchra - Ruwenzori Apalis or Collared Apalis, Apalis ruwenzorii
- Bar-throated ApalisBar-throated ApalisThe Bar-throated Apalis is a small African passerine bird belonging to the genus Apalis of the family Cisticolidae.It inhabits forest and scrub in Southern and East Africa from southern and eastern parts of South Africa north as far as the Chyulu Hills in Kenya...
, Apalis thoracica- Taita ApalisTaita ApalisThe Taita Apalis is a species of bird in the Cisticolidae family. It is endemic to Kenya.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes. It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:...
, Apalis (thoracica) fuscigularis - Namuli ApalisNamuli ApalisThe Namuli Apalis is a small African passerine bird belonging to the genus Apalis in the family Cisticolidae. It was previously classified as a subspecies of the Bar-throated Apalis The Namuli Apalis (Apalis lynesi) is a small African passerine bird belonging to the genus Apalis in the family...
, Apalis (thoracica) lynesi - Yellow-throated ApalisYellow-throated ApalisThe Yellow-throated Apalis is a species of bird in the Cisticolidae family. It is endemic to Malawi.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montanes. It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . ...
, Apalis (thoracica) flavigularis
- Taita Apalis
- Black-capped ApalisBlack-capped ApalisThe Black-capped Apalis is a species of bird in the Cisticolidae family.It is found in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Uganda.Its natural habitat...
, Apalis nigriceps - Black-throated ApalisBlack-throated ApalisThe Black-throated Apalis is a species of bird in the Cisticolidae family.It is found in Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.Its natural habitat...
, Apalis jacksoni - White-winged ApalisWhite-winged ApalisThe White-winged Apalis is a species of bird in the Cisticolidae family.It is found in Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania....
, Apalis chariessa - Masked ApalisMasked ApalisThe Lowland Masked Apalis , also known as the Masked Apalis, is a species of bird in the Cisticolidae family. It is found in Angola, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Tanzania, and Uganda...
or Lowland Masked Apalis, Apalis binotata - Black-faced ApalisBlack-faced ApalisThe Mountain Masked Apalis , also known as the Black-faced Apalis, is a species of bird in the Cisticolidae family. It is found in Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes.-References:* BirdLife International...
or Mountain Masked Apalis, Apalis personata - Yellow-breasted ApalisYellow-breasted ApalisThe Yellow-breasted Apalis is a species of bird in the Cisticolidae family.It is found in Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea,...
, Apalis flavida- Brown-tailed Apalis, Apalis (flavida) viridiceps
- Rudd's ApalisRudd's ApalisThe Rudd's Apalis is a species of bird in the Cisticolidae family.It is found in Malawi, Mozambique, and South Africa.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical moist shrubland....
, Apalis ruddi - Sharpe's ApalisSharpe's ApalisThe Sharpe's Apalis is a species of bird in the Cisticolidae family.It is found in Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone....
, Apalis sharpii - Buff-throated ApalisBuff-throated ApalisThe Buff-throated Apalis is a species of bird in the Cisticolidae family.It is found in Angola, Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and...
, Apalis rufogularis- Kungwe ApalisKungwe ApalisThe Kungwe Apalis is a species of bird in the Cisticolidae family.It is found in Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Tanzania....
, Apalis (rufogularis) argentea
- Kungwe Apalis
- Bamenda ApalisBamenda ApalisThe Bamenda Apalis is a species of bird in the Cisticolidae family.It is endemic to Cameroon.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and dry savanna.It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:...
, Apalis bamendae - Gosling's ApalisGosling's ApalisThe Gosling's Apalis is a species of bird in the Cisticolidae family.It is found in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Gabon....
, Apalis goslingi - Chestnut-throated ApalisChestnut-throated ApalisThe Chestnut-throated Apalis is a species of bird in the cisticola family Cisticolidae. The Kabobo Apalis, originally described as a distinct species, is usually treated as a subspecies A. p. kaboboensis of the Chestnut-throated Apalis today. It is itself sometimes considered to be the same...
, Apalis porphyrolaema- Kabobo ApalisKabobo ApalisThe Kabobo Apalis is a bird in the family Cisticolidae. It is endemic to Democratic Republic of the Congo....
, Apalis (porphyrolaema) kaboboensis
- Kabobo Apalis
- Chapin's ApalisChapin's ApalisThe Chapin's Apalis is a species of bird in the Cisticolidae family. It is found in Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes.-References:...
or Chestnut-headed Apalis, Apalis chapini - Black-headed ApalisBlack-headed ApalisThe Black-headed Apalis is a species of bird in the Cisticolidae family.It is found in Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Somalia, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe....
, Apalis melanocephala - Chirinda ApalisChirinda ApalisThe Chirinda Apalis is a species of bird in the Cisticolidae family.It is found in Mozambique and Zimbabwe.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montanes....
, Apalis chirindensis - Grey ApalisGrey ApalisThe Grey Apalis is a species of bird in the Cisticolidae family.It is found in Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia...
, Apalis cinerea - Brown-headed ApalisBrown-headed ApalisThe Brown-headed Apalis is a small passerine bird belonging to the genus Apalis in the family Cisticolidae. It is sometimes included within the Grey Apalis but is now commonly considered to be a separate species. It has two subspecies: A. a. alticola and A. a. dowsettiIt is 12-13 cm long with a...
, Apalis alticola - Karamoja ApalisKaramoja ApalisThe Karamoja Apalis is a species of bird in the Cisticolidae family. It is found in Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya....
, Apalis karamojae