Pseudoalcippe Abyssinica
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The African hill babbler (''Sylvia abyssinica'') is a species of bird in the family Sylviidae.


Taxonomy

The African hill babbler was described by the German naturalist
Eduard Rüppell Wilhelm Peter Eduard Simon Rüppell (20 November 1794 – 10 December 1884) was a German Natural history, naturalist and List of explorers, explorer. Rüppell is occasionally transliterated to "Rueppell" for the English alphabet, due to german ort ...
in 1840 under the
binomial name In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...
''Drymophila abyssinica''. The type locality is the Simen Mountains, northern Ethiopia. There are currently six recognised
subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...
: *''S. a. monachus'' (
Reichenow Anton Reichenow (1 August 1847 in Charlottenburg – 6 July 1941 in Hamburg) was a German ornithologist and herpetologist. Reichenow was the son-in-law of Jean Cabanis, and worked at the Natural History Museum of Berlin from 1874 to 1921. He was ...
, 1892) – Mount Cameroon *''S. a. claudei'' ( Alexander, 1903) – Bioko Island (formerly Fernando Póo) *''S. a. ansorgei'' (
Rothschild Rothschild () is a name derived from the German ''zum rothen Schild'' (with the old spelling "th"), meaning "with the red sign", in reference to the houses where these family members lived or had lived. At the time, houses were designated by signs ...
, 1918) – west-central Angola, southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo and western Tanzania *''S. a. stierlingi'' (Reichenow, 1898) – eastern and southwestern Tanzania, the
Nyika Plateau The Nyika Plateau lies in northern Malawi, with a small portion in north eastern Zambia. Most of it lies at elevations of between , the highest point being at Nganda Peak. It is roughly a diamond in shape, with a long north–south axis of about ...
in northeastern Zambia and northern Malawi and northwestern Mozambique *''S. a. stictigula'' ( Shelley, 1903) – northeastern Zambia, northern Malawi and northwest Mozambique *''S. a. abyssinica'' ( Rüppell, 1840) – central Ethiopia, eastern South Sudan, eastern Uganda, western and southern Kenya and northeastern Tanzania The distinctive black-headed
Rwenzori hill babbler The Rwenzori hill babbler (''Sylvia atriceps'') is a species of passerine bird in the family Sylviidae that is found in Africa. The Rwenzori hill babbler was described by the English zoologist Richard Bowdler Sharpe in 1902 and given the binomi ...
(''Sylvia atriceps'') has been considered as a subspecies. Fry et al. (2000) state it has the same vocalizations and behaviour as other races, and do not give it the status of a separate species; however, Collar & Robson (2007) split them. This species is now considered a member of the genus ''Sylvia''.


Description

The African hill babbler is an arboreal robin-like forest bird with a thin bill, bright reddish brown back and a contrasting grey head and nape. The grey underparts are faintly marked with white streaks and the belly is paler than the breast. There is a yellowish tinge to the feathers on the flanks and the thighs. The brown eyes turn red, probably when the birds are breeding. The bill has a black upper mandible, a paler lower mandible and the legs are greyish blue. The African hill babbler weighs 14-25g and their length is 13–15 cm.


Voice

The song of the African hill babbler is a rich, melodious warble and resembles the songs of thrushes and orioles and is composed of separated whistled phrases with frequent pitch changes, and may have some scratch notes and lower pitched whistles too.


Distribution

The African hill babbler has a disjointed distribution in the highland regions of western and central Africa from southeastern Nigeria east to central Ethiopia and south to northwestern Mozambique.


Habitat

The natural habitats of the African hill babbler are montane forest and adjacent secondary forest, in dense undergrowth at forest edge and in clearings. Also found in gallery forest.


Behaviour

The African hill babbler lives in pairs which forage within 2m of the ground, gleaning insects from leaves and picking fruit. It will also feed in the canopy and will join mixed species foraging flocks. It usually keeps concealed among creepers and vines and is most often detected by voice.


References

*Collar, N. J. & Robson, C. 2007. Family Timaliidae (Babblers) pp. 70 – 291 in; del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. & Christie, D.A. eds. ''
Handbook of the Birds of the World The ''Handbook of the Birds of the World'' (HBW) is a multi-volume series produced by the Spanish publishing house Lynx Edicions in partnership with BirdLife International. It is the first handbook to cover every known living species of bird. T ...
'', Vol. 12. Picathartes to Tits and Chickadees. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. *Fry, C. H., S. Keith, and E. K. Urban. 1988. ''The Birds of Africa''. Vol. 3. Academic Press, London.


External links


Recordings of African hill babbler at Xeno-canto
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1588046 African hill babbler African hill babbler African hill babbler African hill babbler Taxonomy articles created by Polbot