Cettia

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Cettia
The Brownish-flanked Bush-warbler (Cettia fortipes) probably belongs into another genus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Subclass: Neornithes Infraclass: Neognathae Superorder: Neoaves Order: Passeriformes Suborder: Passeri Infraorder: Passerida Superfamily: Sylvioidea Family: Cettiidae Genus: Cettia Bonaparte, 1834
Species
Some 15, but see text

Cettia is a genus of small insectivorous songbirds ("warblers") which make up the core of the newly recognized family Cettiidae. They were formerly placed in the Sylviidae, which at that time was a wastebin taxon for the warbler-like Sylvioidea. The range of this genus extends from Europa to the western Pacific. The most recently described species is the Odedi (Cettia haddeni) from Bougainville.

The cettiid or typical bush-warblers share the lifestyle and related adaptations and apomorphies with Bradypterus, the other genus of bush-warblers. These are related to the grass-warblers of Locustella and Megalurus. Both "bush-warbler" genera are smallish birds well adapted to glimbing among shrubbery. They are markedly long-tailed birds, at first glance somewhat reminiscent of wrens.

These are quite terrestrial birds, which live in densely vegetated habitats like thick forest and reedbeds. The will walk away from disturbance rather than flush. The plumage similarities and skulking lifestyle makes these birds hard to see and identify.

Cettid bush-warblers tend towards rich or greyish browns above and buffish or light grey tones below. They have little patterning apart from the ubiquitious supercilium. Altogether, they appear much like the plainer species among Acrocephalus marsh-warblers in coloration. Megalurid bush-warblers tend to be somewhat slimmer and have a very long and pointed tail, but are otherwise very similar.

[edit] Species

This genus appears to be non-monophyletic. It seems that it will be split eventually. Cetti's Warbler (C. cetti), the type species, seems close to the genus Tesia from Southeast Asia and neighboring regions. Others, such as the famous uguisu (鶯, Japanese Bush-warbler, C. diphone) and the Brownish-flanked Bush-warbler (C. fortipes) belong to a group that might include the aberrant Broad-billed Warbler (Tickellia hodgsoni). This latter species differs wildly in its gaudy colors but in habitus is a typical "bush-warbler".^[1]

• Manchurian Bush-warbler, Cettia canturians
• Pale-footed Bush-warbler, Cettia pallidipes
• Japanese Bush-warbler, Cettia diphone
• Philippine Bush-warbler, Cettia seebohmi
• Palau Bush-warbler, Cettia annae
• Shade Warbler, Cettia parens
• Odedi or Bougainville Bush-warbler, Cettia haddeni
• Fiji Bush-warbler, Cettia ruficapilla
• Tanimbar Bush-warbler, Cettia carolinae
• Brownish-flanked Bush-warbler, Cettia fortipes
• Sunda Bush-warbler, Cettia vulcania
• Chestnut-crowned Bush-warbler, Cettia major
• Aberrant Bush-warbler, Cettia flavolivacea
• Yellowish-bellied Bush-warbler, Cettia acanthizoides
  • Hume's Bush-warbler, Cettia (acanthizoides) brunnescens
• Grey-sided Bush-warbler, Cettia brunnifrons
• Cetti's Warbler, Cettia cetti

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] References

• Alström, P.; Ericson, P.G.P.; Olsson, U. & Sundberg, P. (2006): Phylogeny and classification of the avian superfamily Sylvioidea. Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 38(2): 381–397. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2005.05.015 PDF fulltext
• del Hoyo, Josep; Elliott, Andrew & Sargatal, Jordi (eds.) (2006): Handbook of Birds of the World (Volume 11: Old World Flycatchers to Old World Warblers). Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. ISBN 849655306X
• Fuchs, J.; Fjeldså, J.; Bowie, R.C.K.; Voelker, G. & Pasquet, E. (2006): The African warbler genus Hyliota as a lost lineage in the Oscine songbird tree: Molecular support for an African origin of the Passerida. Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 39(1): 186-197. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2005.07.020 (HTML abstract)