Apalis

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Apalises
Chestnut throated apalis1.jpg
Chestnut-throated apalis (Apalis porphyrolaema)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Cisticolidae
Genus: Apalis
Swainson, 1833
Type species
Motacilla thoracica [1]
Shaw, 1811
Species

See species list

The apalises are small passerine birds belonging to the genus Apalis, in the family Cisticolidae. They are found in forest, woodlands and scrub across most parts of sub-Saharan Africa. [2] 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. [2]

Contents

The genus was erected by the English naturalist William Swainson in 1833. The type species is the bar-throated apalis. [3] [4] The name Apalis is from the Ancient Greek hapalos meaning "delicate" or "gentle". [5] 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. [6]

There are about 24 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 tailorbirds ( Orthotomus ) or in their own genus Artisornis . [2] The red-fronted prinia or red-faced apalis has also been moved into a different genus, Prinia . [7] Further shuffling may be necessary as a recent study [8] found the genus to be polyphyletic, with two species (black-collared and Ruwenzori apalises) only distantly related to the other three tested.

Species list

The genus contains 26 species: [9]

ImageCommon NameScientific NameDistribution
Bar-throated Apalis, Apalis thoracica, at Marakele National Park, Limpopo, South Africa (16216636110), crop.jpg Bar-throated apalis Apalis thoracicaAfromontane and proximate elevated areas of southeastern Africa
Yellow-throated Apalis - Malawi S4E4174 (17329190131).jpg Yellow-throated apalis Apalis flavigularisMalawi.
Taita apalis Apalis fuscigularisKenya
Namuli apalis Apalis lynesiMozambique
Rudd's apalis, Apalis ruddi, at Ndumo Nature Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (28861972221), crop.jpg Rudd's apalis Apalis ruddiMozambique, southern Malawi, South Africa and Eswatini
Brown-tailed apalis Apalis flavocincta [10] Ethiopia, Sudan, and Uganda to Somalia and Kenya
Yellow-breasted apalis, Apalis flavida.jpg Yellow-breasted apalis Apalis flavidaSub-Saharan Africa
Lowland Masked Apalis 110ND500 DSC8928, crop.jpg Lowland masked apalis Apalis binotataAngola, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Tanzania, and Uganda
Black-faced Apalis (Apalis personata) (18265650889).jpg Mountain masked apalis Apalis personataAlbertine Rift montane forests
Black-throated Apalis - Mt.Kenya, Kenya (cropped).jpg Black-throated apalis Apalis jacksoniCameroon to Kenya
Apalis chariessa, crop.jpg White-winged apalis Apalis chariessaKenya, Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania
Black-capped Apalis - Ghana S4E1344 (16709329573).jpg Black-capped apalis Apalis nigricepsAfrican tropical rainforest
Black-headed Apalis - Malawi S4E4723 (17122255647).jpg Black-headed apalis Apalis melanocephalaKenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Somalia, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe
Apalis chirindensis 180954811.jpg Chirinda apalis Apalis chirindensisZimbabwe and Mozambique
Chestnut-throated Apalis - Uganda H8O3351 (16707119014).jpg Chestnut-throated apalis Apalis porphyrolaemaBurundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda
Kabobo apalis Apalis kaboboensisDemocratic Republic of the Congo
Chapin's apalis or chestnut-headed apalisApalis chapiniMalawi, Tanzania, and Zambia
Sharpe's Apalis from Canopy Walkway - Kakum NP - Ghana 14 S4E1388 (16198803982).jpg Sharpe's apalis Apalis sharpiiCôte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone
Buff-throated Apalis 111ND500 DSC9557-1, crop.jpg Buff-throated apalis Apalis rufogularisAngola, Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia
Kungwe apalis Apalis argenteaBurundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Tanzania
Karamoja apalis Apalis karamojae [11] Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya
Karamoja Apalis imported from iNaturalist photo 21665436 on 21 April 2022.jpg Maasai apalis Apalis stronachiTanzania and Kenya
Apalis bamendae 81145859.jpg Bamenda apalis Apalis bamendaeCameroon
Gosling's Apalis iNaturalist.jpg Gosling's apalis Apalis goslingiAngola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Gabon
Gray Apalis - Naru Moru - Kenya 06 9002 (17327701652) (cropped).jpg Grey apalis Apalis cinereaAngola, Burundi, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda
Brown-headed apalis Apalis alticolaAngola, Zambia, Malawi, south-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Kenya

Formerly in Apalis but now moved to Oreolais : [12]

References

  1. "Cisticolidae". aviansystematics.org. The Trust for Avian Systematics. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
  2. 1 2 3 Sinclair, Ian; Ryan, Peter (2003). Birds of Africa south of the Sahara. Struik. pp. 512, 540. ISBN   1-86872-857-9.
  3. Swainson, William (1833). Zoological Illustrations, or original figures and descriptions of new, rare, or interesting Animals, selected chiefly from the classes of ornithology, entomology, and conchology and arranged according to their apparent affinities. Series 2. Vol. 3. London: Baldwin and Cradock. Plate 119 text.
  4. Mayr, Ernst; Cottrell, G. William, eds. (1986). Check-list of Birds of the World. Vol. 11. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 154.
  5. Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p.  50. ISBN   978-1-4081-2501-4.
  6. Roberson, Don. "Cisticolas & Allies Cisticolidae". Archived from the original on 21 April 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-29.
  7. Lepage, Denis. "Red-faced Apalis (Urorhipis rufifrons) (Rüppell, 1840)". Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2007-03-29.
  8. Nguembock, B; Fjeldså, J.; Tillier, A.; Pasquet, E. (2007). "A phylogeny for the Cisticolidae (Aves: Passeriformes) based on nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequence data, and a re-interpretation of an[sic] unique nest-building specialization". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 42 (1): 272–286. Bibcode:2007MolPE..42..272N. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2006.07.008. PMID   16949311.
  9. Olsson, U.; Irestedt, M.; Sangster, G.; Ericson, P.G.P.; Alström, P. (2013). "Systematic revision of the avian family Cisticolidae based on a multi-locus phylogeny of all genera". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 66 (3): 790–799. Bibcode:2013MolPE..66..790O. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2012.11.004. PMID   23159891.
  10. "Species Updates – IOC World Bird List" . Retrieved 2021-06-18.
  11. Shaw, Philip; Mungaya, Elias (2006). "The status and habitat of Karamoja Apalis Apalis karamojae in the Wembere Steppe, Sukumaland, Tanzania". Bird Conservation International. 16 (2): 97–111. doi: 10.1017/S0959270906000049 .
  12. Nguembock, B.; Fjeldså, J.; Couloux, A.; Cruaud, C.; Pasquet, E. (2008). "Polyphyly of the genus Apalis and a new generic name for the species pulchra and ruwenzorii". Ibis. 150 (4): 756–765. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919X.2008.00852.x.

Further reading