Seicercus

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Seicercus
White-spectacled Warbler Khangchendzonga National Park West Sikkim Sikkim India 28.10.2015.jpg
White-spectacled warbler (Seicercus affinis)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Phylloscopidae
Genus: Seicercus
Swainson, 1837

Seicercus is a genus of Old World warbler formerly in the family Sylviidae but now placed in Phylloscopidae. [1] Recent scientific studies have recommended synonymizing this genus with Phylloscopus, [2] and are placed there.

The genus is distributed in the Indian subcontinent and eastern Asia from northern China to Timor in the Lesser Sundas. Many of the more northerly species are migratory, breeding in temperate climates and wintering in the tropics; others are attitudinal migrants, moving down from the mountains in the winter. A few species are migratory over part of their range and resident in others. [3]

The Seicercus warblers are small passerines that range in size from 9.5 to 12 cm in length and weigh around 4-9 g. [3] All species have green wings and yellow bellies, most have yellow breasts as well. The head is either grey, green or buff/brown, and all species have stripes on the crown or face as well as a yellow or white eye-ring. The sexes are similar to each other.

Seicercus warblers feed on insects, usually obtained by gleaning and short sally flights. [3] A few species associate with mixed-species feeding flocks. Different species feed in different parts of the forest, some, like the chestnut-crowned warbler feed in the canopy whereas the Sunda warbler prefers the understory and lower canopy.

It contained the following species:

Grey-hooded warbler (Phylloscopus xanthoschistos) was formerly included in this genus.

Taxonomic note

The species known as golden-spectacled warblerSeicercus burkii (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993) was split into S. burkii, S. valentini, S. whistleri, S. soror and S. tephrocephalus following Alström & Olsson (1999) and S. omeiensis following Martens et al. (1999).

Related Research Articles

Old World warblers are a large group of birds formerly grouped together in the bird family Sylviidae. They are not closely related to the New World warblers. 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 Cisticolidae and the kinglets into Regulidae. In the past ten years they have been the subject of much research and many species are now placed into other families, including the Acrocephalidae, Cettiidae, Phylloscopidae, and Megaluridae. In addition some species have been moved into existing families or have not yet had their placement fully resolved. A smaller number of warblers, together with some babblers formerly placed in the family Timaliidae and the parrotbills, are retained in a much smaller family Sylviidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leaf warbler</span> Genus of birds

Leaf warblers are small insectivorous passerine birds belonging to the genus Phylloscopus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greenish warbler</span> Species of bird

The greenish warbler is a widespread leaf warbler with a breeding range in northeastern Europe, and temperate to subtropical continental Asia. This warbler is strongly migratory and winters in India. It is not uncommon as a spring or early autumn vagrant in Western Europe and is annually seen in Great Britain. In Central Europe large numbers of vagrant birds are encountered in some years; some of these may stay to breed, as a handful of pairs does each year in Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green warbler</span> Species of bird

The green warbler, also known as green willow warbler or green leaf warbler, is a leaf warbler found in the Caucasus Mountains in southeastern Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Large-billed leaf warbler</span> Species of bird

The large-billed leaf warbler is a species of migratory leaf warbler found in Asia.

Davison's leaf warbler or the white-tailed leaf warbler, is a species of leaf warbler. It was formerly included in the "Old World warbler" assemblage.

The Emei leaf warbler is a species of leaf warbler. It was formerly included in the "Old World warbler" assemblage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kloss's leaf warbler</span> Species of bird

Kloss's leaf warbler is a leaf warbler found in Cambodia, China, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-spectacled warbler</span> Species of bird

The white-spectacled warbler is a species of leaf warbler in the family Phylloscopidae. It is found in Asia from the eastern Himalayas to south-eastern China and southern Vietnam. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It was formerly included in the Old World warbler family, Sylviidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green-crowned warbler</span> Species of bird

The green-crowned warbler is a species of leaf warbler. It was formerly included in the "Old World warbler" assemblage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chestnut-crowned warbler</span> Species of bird

The chestnut-crowned warbler is a species of leaf warbler. It was formerly included in the "Old World warbler" assemblage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunda warbler</span> Species of bird

The Sunda warbler is a species of Old World warbler in the family Phylloscopidae. It is found only in Indonesia.

Martens's warbler, also known as Omei warbler or Emei Shan warbler, is a species of Old World warbler in the family Phylloscopidae. It was first described in 1999. It is found in China and Myanmar. Its natural habitats are temperate forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grey-cheeked warbler</span> Species of bird

The grey-cheeked warbler is a species of leaf warbler. It was formerly included in the "Old World warbler" assemblage.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grey-crowned warbler</span> Species of bird

The grey-crowned warbler is a species of Old World warbler in the family Phylloscopidae. It is found in Bangladesh, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bianchi's warbler</span> Species of bird

Bianchi's warbler is a species of leaf warbler. It was formerly included in the "Old World warbler" assemblage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whistler's warbler</span> Species of bird

Whistler's warbler is a species of leaf warbler. It was formerly included in the "Old World warbler" assemblage.

<i>Tesia</i> Genus of birds

The tesias are a genus, Tesia, of Old World warbler. Though once included in the large family Sylviidae, more recent research placed it within a new family, Cettiidae. The four species inhabit undergrowth of montane forest in South and Southeast Asia, where they are resident or short-range migrants. They have longish legs and appear tailless, with (seemingly) only 8 rectrices. Their simple songs are fairly loud, and their nests are typically ball-shaped. Their name is derived from Tisi, the Nepalese name for the grey-bellied tesia.

Golden-spectacled warbler was a common name for birds in the Seicurcus burkii species complex, which included birds now known as:

References

  1. Alström, Per; Ericson, Per G.P.; Olsson, Urban; Sundberg, Per (2006). "Phylogeny and classification of the avian superfamily Sylvioidea". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 38 (2): 381–397. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2005.05.015. PMID   16054402.
  2. Alström, Per; Rheindt, Frank E.; Zhang, Ruiying; Zhao, Min; Wang, Jing; Zhu, Xiaojia; Gwee, Chyi Yin; Hao, Yan; Ohlson, Jan; Jia, Chenxi; Prawiradilaga, Dewi M.; Ericson, Per G.P.; Lei, Fumin; Olsson, Urban (2018-09-01). "Complete species-level phylogeny of the leaf warbler (Aves: Phylloscopidae) radiation". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 126: 141–152. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2018.03.031. ISSN   1055-7903. PMID   29631054.
  3. 1 2 3 Del Hoyo, J.; Elliot, A. & Christie D. (editors). (2006). Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 11: Old World Flycatchers to Old World Warblers. Lynx Edicions. P.p. 675-679 ISBN   84-96553-06-X.