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Alethe (genus)
''Alethe'' is a genus of small mainly insectivorous birds in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae that occur in West Africa. The genus was erected by the American ornithologist John Cassin in 1859. The genus was previously placed in the thrush family Turdidae but in 2010 two separate molecular phylogenetic Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ... studies found that species in the genus were more closely related to members of the Old World flycatcher family. The genus contains two species: * White-tailed alethe, ''Alethe diademata'' * Fire-crested alethe, ''Alethe castanea'' Formerly in this genus Four species formerly placed in this genus are not closely related to the type species, and have accordingly been reassigned to '' Chamaetylas'' (formerly ''Pseudalet ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Cassin
John Cassin (September 6, 1813 – January 10, 1869) was an American ornithologist from Pennsylvania. He worked as curator and Vice President at the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences and focused on the systemic classification of the Academy's extensive collection of birds. He was one of the founders of the Delaware County Institute of Science and published several books describing 194 new species of birds. Five species of North American birds, a cicada and a mineral are named in his honor. Early life and education Cassin was born in Upper Providence Township, Pennsylvania on September 6, 1813. He was educated at the Westtown School in Westtown, Pennsylvania. His great Uncle, John Cassin, was a commodore in the U.S. Navy and served in the War of 1812. He served in the Union Army during the American Civil War and was held prisoner in the infamous Confederate Libby Prison in Richmond, Virginia. Career Cassin moved to Philadelphia in 1834 and became the head of a lith ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family (taxonomy), family. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial species name for each species within the genus. :E.g. ''Panthera leo'' (lion) and ''Panthera onca'' (jaguar) are two species within the genus ''Panthera''. ''Panthera'' is a genus within the family Felidae. The composition of a genus is determined by taxonomy (biology), taxonomists. The standards for genus classification are not strictly codified, so different authorities often produce different classifications for genera. There are some general practices used, however, including the idea that a newly defined genus should fulfill these three criteria to be descriptively useful: # monophyly – all descendants ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Muscicapidae
The Old World flycatchers are a large family, the Muscicapidae, of small passerine birds restricted to the Old World (Europe, Africa and Asia), with the exception of several vagrants and two species, Bluethroat (''Luscinia svecica)'' and Northern Wheatear (''Oenanthe oenanthe''), found also in North America. These are mainly small arboreal insectivores, many of which, as the name implies, take their prey on the wing. The family includes 344 species and is divided into 51 genera. Taxonomy The name Muscicapa for the family was introduced by the Scottish naturalist John Fleming in 1822. The word had earlier been used for the genus ''Muscicapa'' by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760. Muscicapa comes from the Latin ''musca'' meaning a fly and '' capere'' to catch. In 1910 the German ornithologist Ernst Hartert found it impossible to define boundaries between the three families Muscicapidae, Sylviidae (Old World warblers) and Turdidae (thrushes). He therefore treat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Turdidae
The thrushes are a passerine bird family, Turdidae, with a worldwide distribution. The family was once much larger before biologists reclassified the former subfamily Saxicolinae, which includes the chats and European robins, as Old World flycatchers. Thrushes are small to medium-sized ground living birds that feed on insects, other invertebrates and fruit. Some unrelated species around the world have been named after thrushes due to their similarity to birds in this family. Characteristics Thrushes are plump, soft-plumaged, small to medium-sized birds, inhabiting wooded areas, and often feeding on the ground. The smallest thrush may be the forest rock thrush, at and . However, the shortwings, which have ambiguous alliances with both thrushes and Old World flycatchers, can be even smaller. The lesser shortwing averages . The largest thrush is the Great thrush at and , though the commonly recognized Blue whistling-thrush is an Old world flycatcher. The Amami thrush might, h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Molecular Phylogenetic
Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to determine the processes by which diversity among species has been achieved. The result of a molecular phylogenetic analysis is expressed in a phylogenetic tree. Molecular phylogenetics is one aspect of molecular systematics, a broader term that also includes the use of molecular data in taxonomy and biogeography. Molecular phylogenetics and molecular evolution correlate. Molecular evolution is the process of selective changes (mutations) at a molecular level (genes, proteins, etc.) throughout various branches in the tree of life (evolution). Molecular phylogenetics makes inferences of the evolutionary relationships that arise due to molecular evolution and results in the construction of a phylogenetic tree. History The theoretical framew ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
White-tailed Alethe
The white-tailed alethe (''Alethe diademata'') is a species of bird in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It is found in western Africa from Senegal to Togo. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...s. It was recently split into two species from the fire-crested alethe (''A. castanea''). References white-tailed alethe Birds of West Africa white-tailed alethe white-tailed alethe Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Turdidae-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fire-crested Alethe
The fire-crested alethe (''Alethe castanea'') is a species of bird in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It is found in central Africa, from Nigeria to Uganda. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It has been recently split from the white-tailed alethe The white-tailed alethe (''Alethe diademata'') is a species of bird in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It is found in western Africa from Senegal to Togo. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest A ... (''A. diademata''). References fire-crested alethe Birds of the Gulf of Guinea Birds of Central Africa fire-crested alethe {{Turdidae-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chamaetylas
''Chamaetylas'' is a genus of small, mainly insectivorous birds in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae that are native to sub-Saharan Africa. The genus was introduced by the German ornithologist Ferdinand Heine in 1860. Species in the genus were previously assigned to the genus '' Alethe'' which was included in the thrush family Turdidae. In 2010 two separate molecular phylogenetic studies found that ''Alethe'' was polyphyletic and that the members of both clades were better placed in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. The genus contains four species: * Red-throated alethe, ''Chamaetylas poliophrys'' * White-chested alethe, ''Chamaetylas fuelleborni'' * Brown-chested alethe, ''Chamaetylas poliocephala'' * Thyolo alethe The Thyolo alethe or Cholo alethe (''Chamaetylas choloensis'') is an endangered species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is found in Malawi and Mozambique. It is named after Thyolo, a nearby town in Malawi. Its natural habitat is s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bird Genera
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweight skeleton. Birds live worldwide and range in size from the bee hummingbird to the ostrich. There are about ten thousand living species, more than half of which are passerine, or "perching" birds. Birds have whose development varies according to species; the only known groups without wings are the extinct moa and elephant birds. Wings, which are modified forelimbs, gave birds the ability to fly, although further evolution has led to the loss of flight in some birds, including ratites, penguins, and diverse endemic island species. The digestive and respiratory systems of birds are also uniquely adapted for flight. Some bird species of aquatic environments, particularly seabirds and some waterbirds, have further evolved for swimming. Bi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alethe (genus)
''Alethe'' is a genus of small mainly insectivorous birds in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae that occur in West Africa. The genus was erected by the American ornithologist John Cassin in 1859. The genus was previously placed in the thrush family Turdidae but in 2010 two separate molecular phylogenetic Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ... studies found that species in the genus were more closely related to members of the Old World flycatcher family. The genus contains two species: * White-tailed alethe, ''Alethe diademata'' * Fire-crested alethe, ''Alethe castanea'' Formerly in this genus Four species formerly placed in this genus are not closely related to the type species, and have accordingly been reassigned to '' Chamaetylas'' (formerly ''Pseudalet ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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