Apalis

The apalises are small passerine birds belonging to the genus Apalis, in the family Cisticolidae. They are found in forest, woodlands and scrub across most parts of sub-Saharan Africa.[2] They are slender birds with long tails and have a slender bill for catching insects. They are typically brown, grey or green above and several species have brightly coloured underparts. Males and females are usually similar in appearance but the males are sometimes brighter.[2]

Apalises
Chestnut-throated apalis (Apalis porphyrolaema)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Cisticolidae
Genus: Apalis
Swainson, 1833
Type species
Motacilla thoracica[1]
Shaw, 1811
Species

See species list

The genus was erected by the English naturalist William John Swainson in 1833. The type species is the bar-throated apalis.[3][4] The name Apalis is from the Ancient Greek hapalos meaning "delicate" or "gentle".[5] Apalises were traditionally classified in the Old World warbler family Sylviidae but are now commonly placed, together with several other groups of mainly African warblers, in a separate family Cisticolidae.[6]

There are about 24 species of apalis; the exact number varies according to differing authorities. The African tailorbird and long-billed tailorbird were formerly considered to be apalises but are now often placed either with the tailorbirds (Orthotomus) or in their own genus Artisornis.[2] The red-fronted prinia or red-faced apalis has also been moved into a different genus, Prinia.[7] Further shuffling may be necessary as a recent study[8] found the genus to be polyphyletic, with two species (black-collared and Ruwenzori apalises) only distantly related to the other three tested.

Species list

The genus contains 25 species:[9]

ImageCommon NameScientific NameDistribution
Bar-throated apalisApalis thoracicaTropical Africa
Yellow-throated apalisApalis flavigularisMalawi.
Taita apalisApalis fuscigularisKenya.
Namuli apalisApalis lynesiMozambique
Rudd's apalisApalis ruddiMozambique, southern Malawi, South Africa and Eswatini.
Brown-tailed apalisApalis flavocincta[10]Ethiopia, Sudan, and Uganda to Somalia and Kenya.
Yellow-breasted apalisApalis flavidaAngola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, DRC, Ivory Coast, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Lowland masked apalisApalis binotataAngola, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Mountain masked apalisApalis personataUganda
Black-throated apalisApalis jacksoniCameroon to Kenya,
White-winged apalisApalis chariessaKenya, Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania.
Black-capped apalisApalis nigricepsSub-Saharan Africa.
Black-headed apalisApalis melanocephalaKenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Somalia, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe.
Chirinda apalisApalis chirindensisZimbabwe and Mozambique.
Chestnut-throated apalisApalis porphyrolaemaBurundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda
Kabobo apalisApalis kaboboensisDemocratic Republic of the Congo
Chapin's apalis or chestnut-headed apalisApalis chapiniMalawi, Tanzania, and Zambia.
Sharpe's apalisApalis sharpiiCôte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
Buff-throated apalisApalis rufogularisAngola, Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.
Kungwe apalisApalis argenteaBurundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Tanzania.
Karamoja apalisApalis karamojae[11]Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya.
Bamenda apalisApalis bamendaeCameroon.
Gosling's apalisApalis goslingiAngola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Gabon.
Grey apalisApalis cinereaAngola, Burundi, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Brown-headed apalisApalis alticolaAngola, Zambia, Malawi, south-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Kenya

Formerly in Apalis but now moved to Oreolais:[12]

References
  1. "Cisticolidae". aviansystematics.org. The Trust for Avian Systematics. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
  2. Sinclair, Ian; Ryan, Peter (2003). Birds of Africa south of the Sahara. Struik. pp. 512, 540. ISBN 1-86872-857-9.
  3. Swainson, William John (1833). Zoological Illustrations, or original figures and descriptions of new, rare, or interesting Animals, selected chiefly from the classes of ornithology, entomology, and conchology and arranged according to their apparent affinities. Series 2. Vol. 3. London: Baldwin and Cradock. Plate 119 text.
  4. Mayr, Ernst; Cottrell, G. William, eds. (1986). Check-list of Birds of the World. Vol. 11. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 154.
  5. Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 50. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
  6. Roberson, Don. "Cisticolas & Allies Cisticolidae". Archived from the original on 21 April 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-29.
  7. Lepage, Denis. "Red-faced Apalis (Urorhipis rufifrons) (Rüppell, 1840)". Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2007-03-29.
  8. Nguembock, B; Fjeldså, J.; Tillier, A.; Pasquet, E. (2007). "A phylogeny for the Cisticolidae (Aves: Passeriformes) based on nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequence data, and a re-interpretation of an [sic] unique nest-building specialization". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 42 (1): 272–286. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2006.07.008. PMID 16949311.
  9. Olsson, U.; Irestedt, M.; Sangster, G.; Ericson, P.G.P.; Alström, P. (2013). "Systematic revision of the avian family Cisticolidae based on a multi-locus phylogeny of all genera". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 66 (3): 790–799. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2012.11.004. PMID 23159891.
  10. "Species Updates – IOC World Bird List". Retrieved 2021-06-18.
  11. Shaw, Philip; Mungaya, Elias (2006). "The status and habitat of Karamoja Apalis Apalis karamojae in the Wembere Steppe, Sukumaland, Tanzania". Bird Conservation International. 16 (2): 97–111. doi:10.1017/S0959270906000049.
  12. Nguembock, B.; Fjeldså, J.; Couloux, A.; Cruaud, C.; Pasquet, E. (2008). "Polyphyly of the genus Apalis and a new generic name for the species pulchra and ruwenzorii". Ibis. 150 (4): 756–765. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919X.2008.00852.x.

Further reading
  • Ryan, Peter (2006). "Family Cisticolidae (Cisticolas and allies)". In del Hoyo J., Elliott A.; Christie D.A. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 11. Old World Flycatchers to Old World Warblers. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. pp. 378–492. ISBN 978-84-96553-06-4.
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