Basileuterus

Not to be confused with Basiloterus.

Basileuterus
Golden-crowned warbler (Basileuterus culicivorus)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Parulidae
Genus:	Basileuterus Cabanis, 1849
Type species
Basileuterus vermivorus Cabanis, 1849=Setophaga auricapilla Swainson, 1838 [1]
Species
Many, see text

Basileuterus is a genus of New World warblers, best represented in Central and South America. This is one of only two warbler genera that are well represented in the latter continent. Some species formerly considered in this genus are now placed in the genus Myiothlypis . It is likely that the ancestors of this genus colonised South America from the family's heartland in northern Central America even before the two continents were linked, and subsequent speciation provided most of the resident warbler species of that region.

These are mainly robust warblers with a stout bill. The majority of species have olive or grey upperparts and yellow underparts. The head is often strikingly marked with a long broad supercilium, a coloured crown or crown stripes, and often other striking head markings.

Many species are not well-studied, but those for which the breeding habits are known all build a domed nest on a bank or on the ground, so this is presumably typical of the genus as a whole.

Taxonomy

The genus Basileuterus was introduced in 1848 by the German ornithologist Jean Cabanis to accommodate a single species, Basileuterus vermivorus Cabanis. This is a junior synonym of Setophaga auricapilla Swainson, now treated as a subspecies of the golden-crowned warbler. ^{[2] [3]} The genus name is from Ancient Greek βασιλευτερος/basileuteros meaning "more kingly". ^[4]

Formerly, the two members of the genus Phaeothlypis were sometimes included in Basileuterus.

Species

The genus contains 12 species. ^[5]

Image	Common name	Scientific name	Distribution
	Fan-tailed warbler	Basileuterus lachrymosus	Mexico to Nicaragua
	Rufous-capped warbler	Basileuterus rufifrons	Mexico to centra Guatemala
	Chestnut-capped warbler	Basileuterus delattrii	south Guatemala to north Colombia and west Venezuela
	Black-cheeked warbler	Basileuterus melanogenys	Costa Rica and west Panama
	Pirre warbler	Basileuterus ignotus	east Panama and northwest Colombia
	Golden-browed warbler	Basileuterus belli	Mexico to Honduras
	Golden-crowned warbler	Basileuterus culicivorus	Mexico and south through Central America to northeastern Argentina and Uruguay, and on Trinidad
	Black-eared warbler	Basileuterus melanotis	Costa Rica and west Panama
	Tacarcuna warbler	Basileuterus tacarcunae	east Panama and northwest Colombia
	Three-banded warbler	Basileuterus trifasciatus	Ecuador and Peru
	Yungas warbler	Basileuterus punctipectus	southeast Peru to south-central Bolivia
	Three-striped warbler	Basileuterus tristriatus	Venezuela to central Peru

References

1. "Parulidae". aviansystematics.org. The Trust for Avian Systematics. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
2. Cabanis, Jean (1848). Schomburgk, Moritz Richard (ed.). Reisen in Britisch-Guiana in den jahren 1840-1844 (in German). Vol. 3. Leipzig: J. J. Weber. p. 666.
3. Paynter, Raymond A. Jr, ed. (1968). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 14. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 59.
4. Jobling, James A. "Basileuterus". The Key to Scientific Names. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
5. Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (February 2025). "New World warblers, mitrospingid tanagers". IOC World Bird List Version 15.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 14 September 2025.

• Curson, Quinn and Beadle, New World Warblers ISBN   0-7136-3932-6
• Stiles and Skutch, A Guide to the Birds of Costa Rica ISBN   0-8014-9600-4

External links

• Basileuterus videos, photos and sounds on the Internet Bird Collection