Red-winged grey warbler | |
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Illustration by Joseph Smit (1880) | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Cisticolidae |
Genus: | Drymocichla Hartlaub, 1881 |
Species: | D. incana |
Binomial name | |
Drymocichla incana Hartlaub, 1881 | |
The red-winged grey warbler (Drymocichla incana) is a small to medium size bird in the family Cisticolidae that is native to Central Africa. It is the only species placed in the genus Drymocichla. It is mostly grey with a white underside, a long tail and a prominent red patch on the wing. It is commonly found in swamp and savanna-like environments where it breeds in the rainy season. The sexes are alike.
The red-winged grey warbler was formally described and illustrated in 1881 by the German ornithologist Gustav Hartlaub based on five specimens collected in northern Uganda by the naturalist Emin Pasha. [lower-alpha 1] Hartlaub introduced a new genus for the species, Drymocichla, and coined the current binomial name Drymocichla incana. [3] The red-winged grey warbler is placed in the family Cisticolidae and remains the only species in the genus Drymocichla. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised. [4] The genus name combines the Ancient Greek rumos meaning "copse" or "wood" with kikhlē meaning "thrush". The specific epithet incana is from Latin incanus meaning "light grey". [5]
A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2013 found that the red-winged grey warbler is most closely related to the white-chinned prinia in the genus Schistolais . [6]
The red-winged grey warbler is around 13 cm (5.1 in) in length and weighs about 10 g (0.35 oz) making this a small to medium sized bird. It has a light gray back with a white underside. When flying with the wings fanned out, brown and red feathers can be seen. The species have small pink legs and a sharp, short black beak. With white around the eyes and light gray feathers on the forehead, it is known for its distinct long grey tail. [7] The male and female are similar in appearance. They live for around four and a half years. [1]
It is found moist in savannas and swampy tropical regions of Central Africa, particularly Cameroon, Nigeria, and Uganda. This bird often resides in areas with thick vegetation and proximity to water sources. [7]
The red-winged grey warbler bird mainly eats insects especially, beetles, spiders, and tiny insect larvae. It catches its prey while flying through the vegetation or hovering mid-air. This method of hunting helps it find and target its prey accurately. Though small, the creature needs this diet to survive and maintain its ecosystem's balance. [7]
Breeding takes place during the rainy season, spanning from spring (around May) to fall (October). To signify their partnership, they often sing in unison. The fledglings have a reddish wing patch, reddish belly, and a yellowish base on their bill. [7]
This species boasts a vast and varied geographic range, and according to the criteria for evaluating vulnerability, it does not meet the threshold for concern. While its extent of occurrence spans less than 20,000 km2, these birds do not exhibit any other indicators of vulnerability, such as shrinking or irregular range size, insufficient or inadequate habitat quality. The red-winged grey warbler is not globally threatened. These birds are difficult to find and not commonly found or seen. There have been very few observations of this bird in national parks in Africa, especially in the western regions. [1]
The typical warblers are small birds belonging to the genus Sylvia in the "Old World warbler" family Sylviidae.
Prinia is a genus of small insectivorous birds belonging to the passerine bird family Cisticolidae. They were at one time classed in the Old World warbler family, Sylviidae.
The family Cisticolidae is a group of about 160 warblers, small passerine birds found mainly in warmer southern regions of the Old World. They were formerly included within the Old World warbler family Sylviidae.
The Sardinian warbler is a common and widespread typical warbler from the Mediterranean region. Like most Curruca species, it has distinct male and female plumages. The adult male has a grey back, whitish underparts, black head, white throat and red eyes. Plumages are somewhat variable even in the same locality, with the intensity of a reddish hue on upper- and/or underside that varies from absent to pronounced. The female is mainly brown above and buff below, with a grey head. The Sardinian warbler's song is fast and rattling, and is very characteristic of the Mediterranean areas where this bird breeds.
The tawny-flanked prinia is a small passerine bird belonging to the genus Prinia in the family Cisticolidae, a family of Old World warblers. It is widespread and common in most parts of Africa south of the Sahara. The plain prinia of southern Asia was formerly included in this species but is now usually considered to be a separate species.
The Senegal eremomela is a member of the African warbler family, the Cisticolidae. It occurs in the savannas of western Sub-Saharan Africa.
Hartlaub's duck is a dark chestnut-coloured duck of African forests. Formerly included in the paraphyletic "perching duck" assemblage, it was later moved to the dabbling duck assemblage. However, it is fairly distinct from the "typical" dabbling ducks, and is placed in the monotypic genus Pteronetta to reflect this.
The Karoo chat is a small passerine bird of the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It is a common resident breeder in southwesternmost Angola, western Namibia and western South Africa. Its habitat is Karoo and desert scrub in the south, extending to the escarpment zone in the north.
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 from 1600 to 2500 m.
The black-headed tailorbird, also known as the white-browed tailorbird, is a species of songbird in the cisticola family, Cisticolidae. First formally described by the Scottish ornithologist Arthur Hay in 1877, it is endemic to the southeastern Philippines, where it is found on the islands of Mindanao, Dinagat, and Siargao. It inhabits dense undergrowth in lowland forests at elevations of up to 1,000 m (3,300 ft). Black-headed tailorbirds show three distinct phenotypes, which correspond to different stages of maturity: adults have a 'black' phenotype, immature birds have a 'mottled' phenotype, and juveniles have a 'grey' phenotype. These phenotypes were previously incorrectly thought to be related to sex or representing different species.
Alström's warbler, or the plain-tailed warbler, is a species of Old World warbler in the family Phylloscopidae. It was first described in 1999. It breeds only in China and winters as far as Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. Its natural habitat is temperate forests.
The grey-capped warbler is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae. It is monotypic in the genus Eminia. The grey-capped warbler is found in Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. It is a large, chunky, thin-tailed-warbler with a distinctive grey cap, a black band around its head, and a chestnut throat wrapping its neck. Grey-capped warblers maintain a diet of insects and other invertebrates, including caterpillars, moths, grasshoppers, and mantids.
The red-winged prinia or the red-winged warbler is a bird species in the family Cisticolidae. It formerly belonged in the monotypic genus Heliolais. It is found in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, where its natural habitat is dry savanna.
Emin's shrike is a species of passerine bird in the family Laniidae, the shrikes. This species has a scattered distribution across Africa from the Ivory Coast east to South Sudan and Uganda.
The ashy flycatcher is a species of bird in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It is found throughout sub-Saharan Africa, excluding the drier areas of South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia, where it inhabits subtropical or tropical dry forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, and savanna. It has a disputed generic placement, with different authorities variously putting it in Muscicapa, Fraseria, or other genera. Ashy flycatchers are mostly grey in colour, with pale grey or white underparts, and display no sexual dimorphism.
Roberts's warbler, 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.
The cricket warbler, also known as cricket longtail, scaly longtail or cricket prinia, is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae. It belongs to the genus Spiloptila; it is often the only species included in the genus but sometimes the red-fronted prinia is placed there as well.
The red-fronted prinia, also known as the red-fronted warbler and the red-faced apalis, is a species of bird in the family Cisticolidae. It is found in Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. Its natural habitat is dry savanna.
The Nauru reed warbler is a passerine bird endemic to the island of Nauru in the Pacific Ocean. It is one of only two native breeding land-birds on Nauru and it is the only passerine found on the island. It is related to other Micronesian reed warblers, all of which evolved from one of several radiations of the genus across the Pacific. Related warblers on nearby islands include the Caroline reed warbler, with which the Nauru species was initially confused, and the nightingale reed warbler, which was formerly sometimes considered the same species.
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