Sylviidae

Sylviidae is a family of passerine birds that was part of an assemblage known as the Old World warblers. The family was formerly a wastebin taxon with over 400 species of bird in over 70 genera. The family was poorly defined with many characteristics shared with other families. Advances in classification, particularly helped with molecular data, have led to the splitting out of several new families from within this group. Today the smaller family Sylviidae includes the typical warblers in the genus Sylvia, the parrotbills of Asia (formerly a separate family Paradoxornithidae), a number of babblers formerly placed within the family Timaliidae (which is itself currently being split) and the Wrentit, an unusual North American bird that has been a longstanding taxonomic mystery.

Species

Family Sylviidae sensu stricto

True warblers (or sylviid warblers) and parrotbills. A fairly diverse group of smallish taxa with longish tails. Mostly in Asia, to a lesser extent in Africa. A few range into Europe; one monotypic genus on west coast of North America.

• Genus Myzornis - Fire-tailed Myzornis^[1]
• Genus Sylvia - typical warblers (c.20 species). Paraphyletic or contains Parisoma
  • Temperate Eurasian superspecies ("atricapilla-borin group")
    • Blackcap, Sylvia atricapilla
    • Garden Warbler, Sylvia borin
  • Parisoma superspecies
    • Banded Warbler, Parisoma boehmi
    • Layard's Warbler, Parisoma layardi
    • Rufous-vented Warbler, Parisoma subcaeruleum
  • curruca clade
    • Brown Warbler, Parisoma lugens
    • Yemen Warbler, Sylvia buryi - sometimes placed in Parisoma
    • Red Sea Warbler, Sylvia leucomelaena
    • (Western) Orphean Warbler, Sylvia hortensis
      • Eastern Orphean Warbler, Sylvia (hortensis) crassirostris
    • Lesser Whitethroat, Sylvia curruca
    • Hume's Whitethroat, Sylvia althaea
    • Small Whitethroat, Sylvia minula
      • Margelanic Whitethroat, Sylvia (minula) margelanica
  • communis-melanocephala assemblage
    • Barred Warbler, Sylvia nisoria - tentatively place here
    • Asian Desert Warbler, Sylvia nana
    • African Desert Warbler, Sylvia deserti
    • Whitethroat, Sylvia communis
    • Spectacled Warbler, Sylvia conspicillata
    • Tristram's Warbler, Sylvia deserticola
    • Dartford Warbler, Sylvia undata
    • Marmora's Warbler, Sylvia sarda
      • Balearic Warbler, Sylvia (sarda) balearica
    • Rüppell's Warbler, Sylvia rueppelli
    • Cyprus Warbler, Sylvia melanothorax
    • (Western) Subalpine Warbler, Sylvia cantillans
      • Eastern Subalpine Warbler, Sylvia (cantillans) albistriata
      • Moltoni's Warbler, Sylvia (cantillans) moltonii
    • Sardinian Warbler, Sylvia melanocephala
      • Sylvia (melanocephala) momus
      • Fayyum Warbler, Sylvia melanocephala/momus norissae - doubtfully distinct, extinct (c.1940)
    • Menetries' Warbler, Sylvia mystacea

• Genus Pseudoalcippe - African Hillbabbler. Formerly in Illadopsis (Timaliidae)
• Genus Rhopophilus - White-browed Chinese Warbler. Formerly in Cisticolidae
• Genus Lioparus - Golden-breasted Fulvetta. Formerly in Alcippe (Timaliidae)
• Genus Paradoxornis - typical parrotbills (18 species). Formerly in Paradoxornithidae; polyphyletic
• Genus Conostoma - Great Parrotbill. Formerly in Paradoxornithidae; tentatively placed here
• Genus Fulvetta - typical fulvettas (7 species). Formerly in Alcippe (Timaliidae)
• Genus Chrysomma - 3 species. Formerly in Timaliidae
• Genus Chamaea - Wrentit

References