Acrocephalidae

Reed warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus )

The warbler -like ( Acrocephalidae ) are a family of songbirds ( Passeri ), their distribution ranges across the Old World to Australia and Polynesia. Their representatives were previously provided to the warbler -like ( Sylviidae ). However, after genetic findings of 2006 and 2008, they represent one of the Hauptkladen the superfamily Sylvioidea within the songbirds and therefore deserve the status of a separate family. Currently, the family contains 55 species in five genera.

• 5.1 related

Description

The warbler -like are fairly uniform in color and shape, but vary considerably in size. The smallest species, brewing warblers, bush and steppe scoffers are only about singer leaves large 11.5- 13 cm. The largest and heaviest species is about 18 cm body length and an average of 35.5 g weight of the star about great Sprosserrohrsänger. Almost all species are relatively uniform stained with brownish to gray top in different colors as well as a whitish, usually brownish or beige toned bottom. Few species of the genus Acrocephalus, two Hippolais and some Iduna - types are upper side greenish colored with pale to vivid yellow underside. Four Acrocephalus species show a dark dashes on the top. The songs are often very complex and variable and in some species contain a large proportion of imitations of other species. Many closely related species may be better because the songs are different than on the basis of external appearance.

Way of life

Most warbler -like colonize wetlands or habitats near water, where they occur in reed beds or marsh vegetation. Some species - such as the scoffers and Buschsänger - are, however, likely to be found in drier habitats. All Eurasian species are migratory or partially migratory, with the populations of the Western Palearctic mostly in Africa, the eastern wintering in South Asia. The remaining species are non-migratory birds.

System

External system

The taxonomic history of the warbler -like is closely related to the Warblers ( Sylviidae ) linked to which they have been long. In this grouping - also sometimes referred to as the " Warblers " - about 400 species were temporarily united in about 70 genera, which superficially resembled each other, but overall hardly had particularly differentiated features to distinguish the family from others.

The birds of the " Warblers " type (English warbler type) were mainly characterized by a finely pointed beak with a few bristles at the base and a simple jaw muscles. Most species are inconspicuous to drab colored and built relatively slim, mainly feed on insektivor and move deftly through the vegetation. From reactors or snaps they differ by a ungeflecktes, relatively simple youth dress. However, this type is so non-specific that it does not necessarily point to a common ancestry, but may have arisen several times within the songbirds by a convergent evolution due to similar ecological preferences. This assumption turned out in the last decades by genetic studies increasingly be right out, which ultimately in a nearly perfect rearrangement of " warbler -like " or " Warblers " resulted.

A foundation for this research laid the Sibley - Ahlquist taxonomy, within the suborder Passerida of songbirds ( Passeri ), three Hauptkladen identified: the Muscicapoidea that Sylvioidea and Passeroidea, which turned out due to further investigations with minor changes as monophyletic. Within the Sylvioidea there were again three Hauptkladen, of which the one from the previous warbler -like, the bulbuls and babblers, and the Swallows ( and after further investigation and the larks ) existed.

2005, the composition and the relationships within the Sylvioidea were the subject of a rather comprehensive genetic study ( Alström et al., 2006). In this case, mitochondrial and cell nuclei derived from the DNA sequences were analyzed by 80 taxa eleven Hauptkladen and identified within the Sylvioidea. One of them consisted of representatives of the genera Acrocephalus ( warblers ), Hippolais (Mocker ) and Chloropeta ( three African warblers ). The Schwesterklade sat down, inter alia, from the genera Locustella ( Schwirle ) Bradypterus ( Buschsänger ) and Megalurus ( grass singer) together. For these two clades each family status, plus the name Acrocephalidae and Megaluridae was proposed. The Warblers (Sylvia ), however, were part of a clade composed of numerous representatives of the Timaliidae and warblers (Phylloscopus ) - previously also to the " warbler -like " set - also formed their own group. Also Cistensänger and Cetti's Warbler were found in the other group, ie they are related is not close to the tube singers.

Another, also quite many taxa comprehensive study ( Johansson et al., 2008) confirmed the results on the whole, but also brought further insights. Accordingly, the Malagasy genus Nesillas, represented by the Tsikiritybuschsänger ( N. typica ), closely related Acrocephalus and Hippolais - that is also part of the Acrocephalidae. In addition, also indigenous to Madagascar Bernieridae form with the Acrocephalidae and Megaluridae (later renamed Locustellidae ) a common clade.

Internal system

Phylogenetic relationships within the group of warbler -like were controversial, particularly in the second half of the 20th century. There were many different attempts to classify the group to genus or subgenus level. For example, the thick -billed reed warbler genus Lusciniola So was placed in a separate genus named Phragamaticola, for the moustached warbler proposed. Other concepts seen in the strict sense of the arundinaceus / stentoreus group and Calamocichla for the African- Malagasy species from subgenus Calamodus for striped Warbler, Notiocichla for the smaller, unstriped species Acrocephalus. A breakdown of the scoffers in larger and smaller species, which should be according to the genera Hippolais or Iduna was discussed and the classification of the three African Chloropeta species was also the subject of several considerations. There was agreement in so far as neither the genera Acrocephalus Hippolais were monophyletic in the current compilation.

After Alström (2005) and Johansson (2008 ) the family Acrocephalidae had defined, it initially consisted of four genera:

• Acrocephalus with 37 species, distributed in the Old World and Australasia
• Hippolais limited to eight species in the spread of the Palearctic
• Chloropeta with three species - native to sub-Saharan Africa
• Nesillas with five species - endemic to Madagascar

A study of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA in 2009 ( Fregin et al. ) Showed that none of the previously proposed approaches reflects the phylogenetic relationships within the group correctly. The study also previously unconsidered taxa were included. There were ( in addition to a branch of Nesillas ) two major clades, one of which is out of most of the Acrocephalus species and the larger scoffers species ( H. icterina, polyglotta, languida, olivetorum ) existed. The other contained the smaller scoffers species ( H. pallida opaca, caligata, rama ) and the two types of Chloropeta Warbler (C. natalensis ) and bamboo reed warbler (C. similis ). In addition, there was here as closely related to the Thick-billed Warbler (Acrocephalus aedon ).

The kinship relations shows the simplified cladogram ( Grey script: proposed generic names ):

Chloropeta gracilirostris

Aedon Acrocephalus

Chloropeta natalensis Chloropeta similis

Hippolais pallida Hippolais opaca Hippolais caligata Hippolais rama

Hippolais icterina Hippolais polyglotta Hippolais languida Hippolais olivetorum

Acrocephalus (31 species)

Nesillas

None of the former three genera is therefore monophyletic. As a result, the authors proposed to incorporate either Hippolais and Chloropeta in Acrocephalus or Hippolais split and a portion of the species with two of the Chloropeta species and to the genus Acrocephalus aedon Iduna set to - Iduna would have priority over Chloropeta. Chloropeta gracilirostris would be best to put into the monotypic genus Calamonastides due to the as yet unknown classification.

Genera and species

• Genus Nesillas Tsikiritybuschsänger ( Nesillas typica )
• Lantz Buschsänger ( Nesillas lantzii )
• Anjoubuschsänger ( Nesillas longicaudata )
• Short-tailed bush warbler ( Nesillas brevicaudata )
• Komorenbuschsänger ( Nesillas mariae )
• Aldabrabuschsänger ( Nesillas aldabrana ), probably extinct

• Basrarohrsänger (Acrocephalus griseldis )
• Kapverdenrohrsänger (Acrocephalus brevipennis )
• Papyrus reed warbler (Acrocephalus rufescens )
• Kaprohrsänger (Acrocephalus gracilirostris )
• Madagascar reed warbler (Acrocephalus newtoni )
• Seychellenrohrsänger (Acrocephalus sechellensis )
• Rodriguezrohrsänger (Acrocephalus rodericanus )
• Great Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus )
• China reed warbler (Acrocephalus orientalis)
• Stentorrohrsänger (Acrocephalus stentoreus )
• Australasian warblers (Acrocephalus australis)
• Hawaii Warbler (Acrocephalus familiaris)
• Sprosserrohrsänger (Acrocephalus Luscinius )
• Acrocephalus hiwae
• Acrocephalus nijoi
• Pagan Sprosserrohrsänger (Acrocephalus yamashinae )
• Astrolabe Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus astrolabii )
• Nauru Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus rehsei )
• Caroline Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus syrinx )
• Fanning Warbler (Acrocephalus aequinoctialis )
• Acrocephalus percernis
• Long -billed reed warbler (Acrocephalus caffer )
• Acrocephalus longirostris
• Raiatea warbler (Acrocephalus musae )
• Marquesasrohrsänger (Acrocephalus mendanae )
• Tuamoturohrsänger (Acrocephalus atyphus )
• Mangaiarohrsänger (Acrocephalus kerearako )
• Rimatararohrsänger (Acrocephalus rimitarae )
• Henderson reed warbler (Acrocephalus taiti )
• Pitcairn Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus vaughani )
• Brewing Warbler (Acrocephalus bistrigiceps )
• Moustached warbler (Acrocephalus melanopogon )
• Aquatic Warbler (Acrocephalus paludicola )
• Sedge Warbler (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus )
• Millet Warbler (Acrocephalus sorghophilus )
• Bush Warbler (Acrocephalus concinens )
• Mandschurenrohrsänger (Acrocephalus tangorum )
• Large -billed Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus orinus )
• Paddyfield Warbler (Acrocephalus agricola )
• Blyth's Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus dumetorum )
• Reed warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus )
• Garden Warbler (Acrocephalus baeticatus )
• Marsh Warbler ( Acrocephalus palustris)

• Thick -billed Warbler ( Iduna aedon )
• Yellow Warbler ( Iduna natalensis )
• Bamboo Warbler ( Iduna similis )
• Booted Warbler ( Iduna caligata )
• Steppe scoffers ( Iduna rama )
• Pale scoffers ( Iduna pallida )
• Isabellspötter ( Iduna opaca )

• Yellow-bellied Warbler ( Calamonastides gracilirostris )

• Dorn scoffers ( Hippolais languida )
• Olive Warbler ( Hippolais olivetorum )
• Melodious Warbler ( Hippolais polyglotta )
• Yellow Warbler ( Hippolais icterina )