Acrocephalus agricola  PADDYFIELD WARBLER.  Open reedbeds, sedges, rank grass, scrubby growth in swamps.  S,se Russia in the n shore region of the Black Sea and n Caspian Sea area, sw Siberia on the upper Ob R., upper Yenesei R. and Tuva, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, ne Iran, n Afghanistan and nw China in Sinkiang and n Tsinghai; Manchuria.  The Manchurian race tangorum formerly was treated as a species.
Acrocephalus concinens  BLUNT-WINGED WARBLER.  Open reedbeds, sedges, deep grass, thickets, farms.  Locally to 3000 m in n Afghanistan, n,ne India and c China.
Acrocephalus scirpaceus  EURASIAN REED-WARBLER.  Reedbeds, bushes near water, towns, farms, scrub, open forest undergrowth.  From s British Isles and s Scandinavia se across c Russia to s Russia, n to Kirghiz steppes and Lake Zaysan (but absent between Caspian and Aral seas and in e Turkestan), s to nw Africa from Morocco to Tunisia, n Libya and ne Egypt, Mediterranean region incl. most islands, Turkey, Near East, Iran, s Russia and probably w China in w Sinkiang.

Acrocephalus baeticatus  AFRICAN REED-WARBLER.  Reedbeds, bushes near water, open forest undergrowth, tall grass, mangroves.

The relationships of this taxon are controversial and several arrangements have been proposed, including merging it in A. scirpaceus.  Dowsett and Dowsett-Lemaire (1993, p. 358) discuss the problem and conclude that scirpaceus and baeticatus should be merged.  They approach closely with scirpaceus breeding in the Nile delta and baeticatus on the Red Sea coast.  They differ in size but have identical songs.  However, unless intergradation occurs it is a matter of which species concept one wishes to apply.
 Locally in Mauritania, Mali, Senegambia and Niger; from Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, L. Chad area, s Sudan, c Ethiopia, s Somalia, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda and w,c,se Kenya, Tanzania s to Zaire, Angola, Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique; mangroves along Red Sea and Gulf of Aden coasts from Sudan to Somalia and sw Arabia in Saudi Arabia and Yemen; locally in s Africa in Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, extreme s Mozambique and S. Africa.

Acrocephalus dumetorum  BLYTH'S REED-WARBLER.  Marshy vegetation, bushes near water, scrub, open forest undergrowth, tall grass, orchards, farms.  From s Finland e across nw,c Russia to c Siberia e to upper Tunguska River and Vilyuy R., and region w of Lake Baikal and nw Mongolia, s to s Russia, Azerbaijan, e Iran, n Afghanistan and sw Siberia in the Altai.
Acrocephalus palustris  MARSH WARBLER.  Wet shrubby thickets, riverine scrub, bushy areas, grassland, towns, farms, subalpine meadows.  From s England, s Sweden and s Finland e to c Russia e to s Urals and extreme nw Kazakhstan, s to s France, c Italy, n Greece, n Black Sea area, e Turkey, nw Iran and on the nw,n shores of the Caspian Sea.
Acrocephalus arundinaceus  GREAT REED-WARBLER.  Reedbeds, brush near water.

The two groups sometimes are treated as species; they seem to be allopatric.  B. King (pers. comm.) recommends species status for orientalis.
 A. a. arundinaceus  From continental Europe and s Sweden e across c Russia to sw Siberia in the Altai, and from extreme w China in w Sinkiang, s to nw Africa from Morocco to Tunisia, Mediterranean incl. most islands, Turkey, n Israel, n Iran, s Russia, Turkestan (absent from Turkmenia).
 A. a. orientalis  From c,e China, se Siberia in s Transbaicalia, Amurland, Ussuriland and Sakhalin, Korea and Japan on Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushi.

Acrocephalus stentoreus  CLAMOROUS REED-WARBLER.  Reedbeds, papyrus swamps, mangroves, lantana thickets, towns.

There may be more than one species involved among these allopatric populations.  A. orinus, based on a unique specimen from n India, may be a molting individual of stentoreus.  B. King (pers. comm.) suggests that orinus is a separate species.
 A. s. stentoreus  From n,c Egypt, extreme s Israel, coastal Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia and Arabia (exc. nw,c) e across e,s Iran and from se shore of Aral Sea se to Transcaspia and Turkestan, e through Afghanistan and Pakistan to w,sw,n India and locally s over peninsular India in Rajasthan, Kerala and W. Bengal; Sri Lanka; s China, c,e Burma, w Java, Lesser Sunda is. of Lombok, Sumbawa and Sumba, the Moluccas incl. Buru; Philippines on Luzon, Mindoro, Leyte, Bohol and Mindanao; Bismarck Arch., Solomon Is., and extreme ne Australia in Queensland.
 A. s. celebensis  S Sulawesi.

Acrocephalus griseldis  BASRA REED-WARBLER.  Reedbeds.  S Iraq along the Lower Euphrates and Tigris rivers.  May be a race of stentoreus.
Acrocephalus australis  AUSTRALIAN REED-WARBLER.  Reedbeds, lantana thickets, bamboo, towns.  Australia, Tasmania (absent from n Queensland); New Guinea, Bismarck Archipelago and Solomon Is.
Acrocephalus luscinia  NIGHTINGALE REED-WARBLER.  Reedbeds, thickets, forest undergrowth.  Mariana Is. of Agrihan, Alamagan, Saipan and Aguijan; extinct on Guam and probably on Pagan.

The reed-warblers of the tropical Pacific are variously combined into broader species; the arrangement here reflects variation in their vocal behavior.

Acrocephalus syrinx  CAROLINE ISLANDS REED-WARBLER.  Tall grass, second-growth, forest, towns.  Caroline Islands.
Acrocephalus rehsei  NAURU REED-WARBLER.  Brushy areas.  Island of Nauru.
Acrocephalus familiaris  MILLERBIRD.  Dense low vegetation, grass, brush.  Nihoa I. in the w Hawaiian Is.; extinct on Laysan since before 1923.
Acrocephalus aequinoctialis  BOKIKOKIKO.  Dense brush.  N. Line Is. of Teraina, Tabuaeran, Kiritimati.
Acrocephalus caffer TAHITI REED-WARBLER.  Bamboo, thickets, second-growth.  Moorea and Tahiti in the Society Is.

Acrocephalus mendanae  MARQUESAN REED-WARBLER.  Brush, wet forest, woods.  Lowlands to 1200 m in the Marquesas Is.
Acrocephalus atyphus  TUAMOTU REED-WARBLER.  Brushy forest.  Tuamotu I.
Acrocephalus kerearako  COOK ISLANDS REED-WARBLER.  Reeds, woods, brush, towns.  Mitiaro and  Mangaia islands in the Cook Is.
Acrocephalus rimatarae  RIMATARA REED-WARBLER.  Brushy forest, reedbeds.  Rimatara I. in the Tubuai Is.
Acrocephalus vaughani  PITCAIRN REED-WARBLER.  Brushy forest, reedbeds.  Pitcairn I. in the c Pitcairn Is.

Acrocephalus taiti  HENDERSON ISLAND REED-WARBLER.  Brushy forest, reedbeds.  Henderson I. in the sw Pitcairn Is.
Acrocephalus rufescens  GREATER SWAMP-WARBLER.  Reedbeds, papyrus swamps, high swamp grass.  Mauritania, Mali, Senegambia; from Ghana, Togo, s Nigeria, Gulf of Guinea Is., s Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, C. African Rep., Chad, Sudan, n,e Zaire, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda and w Kenya s to n,e Angola, n,e Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, n Zambia and w Tanzania.
Acrocephalus brevipennis  CAPE VERDE SWAMP-WARBLER.  Swampy vegetation, bamboo, towns, woods.  Cape Verde Is. of São Nicolau, São Tiago and Brava.
Acrocephalus gracilirostris  LESSER SWAMP-WARBLER.  Reedbeds, papyrus swamps, high swamp grass.  Locally in Nigeria; c Angola, Zambia, se,e,ne Zaire, Chad, se Sudan, n,c Ethiopia, s Somalia, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, w,c,se Kenya s (exc. arid sw), Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia and to s S. Africa.

Acrocephalus newtoni  MADAGASCAR SWAMP-WARBLER.  Reedbeds, papyrus swamps, high swamp grass, mangroves.  Lowlands to 1800 m of Madagascar.
Acrocephalus aedon  THICK-BILLED WARBLER.  Reedbeds, thickets near water, riparian vegetation.  S Siberia from upper Ob R. e across Transbaicalia to w Amurland and Ussuriland, n Mongolia and ne China from Heilungkiang s to w Inner Mongolia, n Hopeh and Liaoning.
 The two following species have been placed in Bebrornis, but F. Dowsett-Lemaire (1994. Ibis 136:489-491) compared the songs of A. newtoni, A. brevipennis, A. gracilirostris, A. rufescens, A. rodericanus and A. sechellensis.  She concluded that these species are closely related and form the subgenus Calamocichla, the members of which differ from the other species of Acrocephalus in being plain-plumaged, strong-legged and sedentary.  Unpublished DNA sequence studies by K. Schulze-Hagen were cited in support of a close relationship among gracilirostris, newtoni and sechellensis.

Acrocephalus rodericanus  RODRIGUEZ BRUSH-WARBLER.  Open scrubby woods.  Rodrigues I. in the e Mascarene Is.  Rare, population reduced.
Acrocephalus sechellensis  SEYCHELLES BRUSH-WARBLER.  Open scrubby woods, swamp, bamboo. Cousin I. in the Seychelles Is.  Population ca. 85 individuals.

Greenish-brown above; yellowish below, some with streaks; tail long, graduated, white-tipped.  Food insects taken on foliage and by flycatching; possibly other small animals.  Nest a neat cup of fibers and grass, in a fork.  Eggs 1-2, whitish with green and brown speckles.

Hippolais:  Warblers.  Woods, scrub, gardens, often near water.  Eurasia, n Africa.

There is little morphological evidence to separate Hippolais from Acrocephalus and DNA hybridization data support that view (Sibley and Ahlquist 1990:866, fig. 381).
 11-15.5 cm  Plumages similar to Acrocephalus:  Brownish-olive, buffy or grayish above; whitish below with whitish lores and supercilium or yellowish lores and underparts in polyglotta, icterina; tail square.  Food insects.  Nest a cup of twigs, grass, stems, hidden in dense vegetation near the ground; eggs 3-5, variable: pinkish white to gray with gray, purple, black spots, lines, blotches.

Hippolais caligata   BOOTED WARBLER.  Gardens, hedgerows, canebrakes, scrub, bushes, usually near water.  From nw,c Russia e to w Siberia (upper Yenisei River) and nw Mongolia, s to e of the Caspian Sea and n of the range of H. rama, and extreme w China in w Sinkiang.
Hippolais rama  SYKE'S WARBLER.  From ne Arabia in nw Oman, s,e Iran, Afghanistan, and from Transcaspia e to Turkestan and probably Pakistan.  Often treated as a race of H. caligata.
Hippolais pallida  OLIVACEOUS WARBLER.  Arid areas with trees and shrubs, usually near water.  Spain, n Africa from Mauritania e to Egypt, and from the Balkan states n to s Hungary and s Romania, s,e to Turkey, Near East and Saudi Arabia e to Iraq, w,n Iran, Caucasus, from Transcaspia n to Aral Sea, s Kazakhstan and Turkestan and probably w China in w Sinkiang; oases in the Sahara in Niger, Lake Chad area, c Sudan around Khartoum and Djibouti; w Africa in Senegal, Nigeria and Cameroon.

Hippolais languida  UPCHER'S WARBLER.  Gardens, vineyards, bushes, open woods, scrub, semi-desert.  From s Turkey and Near East e through the Caucasus, Transcaspia, Turkestan, n Iraq, w,s Iran and n Afghanistan to nw Pakistan in n Baluchistan.
Hippolais olivetorum  OLIVE-TREE WARBLER.  Gardens, orchards, olive groves, oaks.  In s Yugoslavia, s Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, w,s Turkey, Crete, Cyprus, probably Near East, and n Iran.
Hippolais polyglotta  MELODIOUS WARBLER.  Woodland, dense shrubs esp. along water, scrub, forest edge, forest steppes, towns, orchards.  From sw Europe n to n,e France (exc. Brittany), sw Switzerland, n Italy, Sicily, Corsica; nw Africa from Morocco to Tunisia.

Hippolais icterina  ICTERINE WARBLER.  Woodland, scrub, forest edge, towns, orchards.  From continental Europe w to e France and s Scandinavia se across c Russia to sw Siberia (upper Ob R., Altai), and s to n Italy, n Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, nw Turkey and n Black Sea area; Caucasus, cn Iran.
 Chloropeta:  Flycatcher-Warblers.  Mts., Africa.  Above yellow and olive-brown or greenish; yellow below.  The species of Chloropeta have been allied to the muscicapine flycatchers by some authors.  C. gracilirostris has been placed in Calamonastides and viewed as more closely related to the swamp-warblers, Calamocichla = Acrocephalus.  Food insects.  Nest a bulky, deep cup of grass, moss, bark; slung between stems or in a fork; eggs 2-4, whitish, with or without, rusty-colored spots, streaks.

Chloropeta natalensis  YELLOW FLYCATCHER-WARBLER.  Open brushy areas.  Locally in highlands from se Nigeria, s Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, C. African Rep., s,e,ne Zaire, extreme se Sudan, w,c Ethiopia and w,c Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi s to Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Angola, Zambia, e Zimbabwe and e S. Africa in e,s Transvaal, Swaziland, e Natal and extreme e Cape Province.
Chloropeta similis  MOUNTAIN FLYCATCHER-WARBLER.  Forest, bamboo.  Mts. in e Zaire, se Sudan, Uganda, w,c Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia and n Malawi.
Chloropeta gracilirostris  THIN-BILLED FLYCATCHER-WARBLER.  Marshes.  Locally in ne Zaire, w Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, w Kenya and cn Zambia.
 Orthotomus:  Tailorbirds.  Forest, woods, thickets, mangroves.  Ne Africa; s,se Asia; Philippines; Java, Lombok.

10-13 cm.  Small, slim, carry tail erect.  Males of most species have orange-rufous crowns; greenish, olive or gray above; face white, gray, orange-rufous; throat white, gray; white, buffy, yellow or gray below, including crissum; tail graduated, usually olive or brownish with white tips; tail orange-rufous in sericeus.  O. nigriceps: head, throat black; cinereiceps: head, throat black, ear coverts white.  Females similar with less extensive brightly-colored areas.  Food mainly small insects and larvae.
 The structure of the nest is the basis for the English name, Tailorbird.  The nest is built in a cavity formed of two or more large, drooping leaves which are sewed together along the edges with threads of plant down to form a cone or bag.  The upper portion of the leaf nearest the stem arches over the nest opening.  The nest is a cup of soft fibers, spider egg sacs and plant down, placed within the leaf cone.  In arid country where the plants have narrow leaves, several leaves may be sewn together and the nest formed as a cup stitched to them for support, similar to the nests of Cisticola species.  Eggs 3-5, variable; usually white to pinkish or white tinged with green or blue, or bright blue; all spotted and marked with reddish-brown.

Orthotomus metopias  AFRICAN TAILORBIRD.  Forest undergrowth.  Mts. in e,s Tanzania and extreme n Mozambique.  Has been placed in Camaroptera.
Orthotomus cuculatus  MOUNTAIN TAILORBIRD.  Open woods, pine forest, grass and bamboo jungle, second growth, forest edge.  Lowlands and mts. to 2500 m in e India w to e Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan and Bangladesh, s China, Burma (exc. c), nw,pen. Thailand, Indochina (exc. se), Malaya; mostly in mts. of the Greater Sunda Is., Bali and Flores is., Moluccas on Bacan and Buru and Philippines on Luzon, Palawan and Mindanao.
Orthotomus heterolaemus  RUFOUS-HEADED TAILORBIRD.  Woods, forest edge.  Mt. Apo and Mt. Katanglad on Mindanao in the s Philippines.  Sometimes included in O. cuculatus.

Orthotomus sutorius  COMMON TAILORBIRD.  Gardens, thickets, bamboo, second growth.  Lowlands to 1500 m from Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and s China from w,s Yunnan to Hainan, s through se Asia; Java.
Orthotomus atrogularis  DARK-NECKED TAILORBIRD.  Forest undergrowth, thickets, dense scrub.  Lowlands to 1800 m from e India w to Sikkim, n W. Bengal and Bangladesh and s China from s Yunnan to Kwantung, s through se Asia (exc. w,c Burma); Sumatra and most adj. islands; N. Borneo and Anambas Islands.
Orthotomus castaneiceps  PHILIPPINE TAILORBIRD.  Forest undergrowth, edge, thickets, second growth.  Lowlands of n,c Philippines on n,c Luzon, Masbate, Ticao, Guimaras, Panay, Bantayan and Negros.

Orthotomus frontalis  RUFOUS-FRONTED TAILORBIRD.  Forest undergrowth, thickets.  Lowlands of the s Philippines on Samar, Calicoan, Leyte, Bohol, Dinagat, Siargao, Mindanao and Basilan.
Orthotomus derbianus  GREY-BACKED TAILORBIRD.  Forest undergrowth, edge, thickets, second growth.  N,sw Philippines on Luzon, Catanduanes and Palawan.
Orthotomus sericeus  RUFOUS-TAILED TAILORBIRD.  Scrub, second growth, mangroves.  Lowlands of Malay Pen., Sumatra, Riau and Lingga arch., Belitung, Borneo, Natuna Is. and sw Philippines on the Calamian Is., Palawan, Balabac and Cagayan Sulu.
Orthotomus ruficeps  ASHY TAILORBIRD.  Mangroves, scrub, second growth.  Lowlands to 1000 m, but mostly coastal, on the Malay Pen., Sumatra, Mentawai Is., Riau Arch., Bangka and Belitung, Java and Karimunjawa I., Borneo; and Cagayan Sulu in the sw Philippines.

Orthotomus sepium  OLIVE-BACKED TAILORBIRD.  Scrub, mangroves.  Lowlands in interior Java and small adj. islands, and w Lesser Sunda islands of Bali and Lombok.
Orthotomus samarensis  YELLOW-BREASTED TAILORBIRD.  Riparian vegetation in forest and edge.  C Philippine islands of Samar, Leyte and Bohol.
Orthotomus nigriceps  BLACK-HEADED TAILORBIRD.  Riparian vegetation in forest and edge.  S Philippine islands of Dinagat, Siargao and Mindanao.
Orthotomus cinereiceps  WHITE-EARED TAILORBIRD.  Forest, edge, thickets, second growth.  S Philippine islands of Mindanao and Basilan.

Eremomela:  Eremomelas.  Woods, savanna, scrub.  Sub-Saharan Africa.

9-12 cm.  Most species are grayish, brownish or greenish above; with or without a pale supercilium; dusky to black eye stripe; brownish or yellow/white below; crissum yellow/white; tail short.  E. badiceps has a rufous crown and black pectoral band; usticollis a rusty pectoral band, often pale or absent; icteropygialis has a narrow white eyering.  Food insects.  Nest a cup of grass, cobwebs, leaves, slung from the rim between two twigs or in a fork; eggs 1-3, white, grayish, pale blue, bluish-green, with reddish/blackish spots and gray undermarks.

Eremomela icteropygialis  YELLOW-BELLIED EREMOMELA.  Acacia steppe, savanna, brachystegia woodland, bushy areas.  Dowsett and Dowsett-Lemaire (1993, p. 358) "are convinced" that salvadorii is a race of E. icteropygialis.

E. i. icteropygialis.  Senegambia, s Mauritania, s Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana, s Niger, n Nigeria, Cameroon, Congo, s Chad and s Sudan to Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and S. Africa, except seacoast and high grasslands.
 E. i. salvadorii  SALVADORI'S EREMOMELA.  Woodland, forest.  Highlands in sw,sc Zaire, Angola and w Zambia.

Eremomela flavicrissalis  YELLOW-VENTED EREMOMELA.  Dry acacia scrub.  Ne Uganda, s Ethiopia, s Somalia, n,ec,se Kenya.
Eremomela pusilla  SENEGAL EREMOMELA.  Savanna.  Senegambia, s Mauritania, s Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, extreme s Niger, w Cameroon, Lake Chad area, n C. Afr. Rep.
Eremomela canescens  GREEN-BACKED EREMOMELA.  Savanna.  From e Cameroon, s Chad and C. African Rep., e across s Sudan, n,ne Zaire and Uganda to w,c Ethiopia and w Kenya.  Occasional hybrids with pusilla in s Chad.  The East African List Committee place canescens in pusilla (D. A. Turner, pers. comm.).  Dowsett and Dowsett-Lemaire (1993, p. 358) also include canescens in pusilla, but express reservations and note that further investigation is warranted.  Vocalizations are said to differ.

Eremomela scotops  GREENCAP EREMOMELA.  Savanna, brachystegia woodland.  From Gabon, Congo, sw,sc,ec Zaire, Rwanda, Burundi, s Uganda, s Kenya and Tanzania s to s Angola, ne Namibia (Caprivi), n Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and e S. Africa in Transvaal and Natal.
Eremomela gregalis  YELLOW-RUMPED EREMOMELA.  Arid karoo scrub.  Wc,sw Namibia and w,c Cape Prov. in w S. Africa.
Eremomela badiceps  RUFOUS-CROWNED EREMOMELA.  Forest.  Sierra Leone, se Guinea, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria to s Cameroon, Gulf of Guinea Is., Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Congo, n,ne Zaire, extreme s Sudan and nw Uganda, s to nw Angola and sw,sc,ce Zaire.
Eremomela turneri  TURNER'S EREMOMELA.  Forest.  Locally in ce Zaire, sw Uganda and w Kenya in the Kakamega Forest.

Eremomela atricollis  BLACK-NECKED EREMOMELA.  Brachystegia woods.  Angola (exc. nw,s), Zambia and se Zaire.
Eremomela usticollis  BURNT-NECK EREMOMELA.  Acacia.  S Angola, n,c Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, w Mozambique and e S. Africa in Transvaal and e Natal.
Randia pseudozosterops  RAND'S WARBLER.  Rain forest canopy.  Mts., 800-1500 m, of e Madagascar.

Affinities uncertain.  12 cm.  Gray above; grayish-brown below; lores, supercilium white; cheeks, chin whitish; tail gray-brown; bill long, thin.

Newtonia:  Newtonias.  Madagascar.  Known from few specimens; affinities uncertain.

Food insects; nesting unknown.

Newtonia amphichroa  DARK NEWTONIA.  Rain forest, second growth.  Highlands, 500-1800 m of e Madagascar.
Newtonia brunneicauda  COMMON NEWTONIA.  Forest, woods, mangroves, brush, semi-desert.  Lowlands and mts. to 2200 m of Madagascar.
Newtonia archboldi  ARCHBOLD'S NEWTONIA.  Subarid scrub.  Sea level to 2000 m of s,sw Madagascar.
Newtonia fanovanae  RED-TAILED NEWTONIA.  Rain forest.  E,se Madagascar.  Known from a single specimen taken in 1931 and rediscovered in the field in 1989.
 Sylvietta:  Crombecs. Semiarid savanna, thornbush or wooded habitats of Africa.

10-12 cm.  Short-tailed, appearing tailless; gray, brown, olive-green above; whitish, yellow, buffy, pale rufous below; some with pale supercilium; ruficapilla has dark rufous ear coverts and rufous breast patch; whytii pale orange-rufous face and flanks; rufescens pale rufescent below.  Food insects.  Nest an open bag or purse of grass, plant down, decorated with cobwebs, bark, leaves, flowers, etc., suspended from a branch.  Eggs 2-3, white to yellowish with greenish-gray, brown spots/markings.

Sylvietta virens  GREEN CROMBEC.  Forest.  Senegambia, s Mali, se Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, sw Nigeria; from se Nigeria, s Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, C. African Rep., s Sudan, n,ne Zaire, Uganda and w Kenya to nw,cw Angola and sw,sc,ce Zaire and extreme nw Tanzania.
Sylvietta denti  LEMON-BELLIED CROMBEC.  Forest.  Locally in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, s Ghana, Nigeria, s Cameroon, Gabon, Congo and n,ne,ce,sc Zaire.
Sylvietta chapini  CHAPIN'S CROMBEC.  Forest.  Plateau region, ca. 1500 m, of ne Zaire.  Sometimes treated as a race of S. leucophrys.  Considered a "dubious species" (D. A. Turner, pers. comm.) and considered a race of leucophrys by Dowsett and Dowsett-Lemaire (1993, p. 358), who note that "Further field investigation is needed before accepting that this form is undoubtedly a good species".  The question is -- are the two in contact and intergrading, or allopatric?

Sylvietta leucophrys  WHITE-BROWED CROMBEC.  Forest.  Mts. in e Zaire, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, w,c Kenya and w Tanzania.  May, or may not, include chapini.
Sylvietta brachyura  NORTHERN CROMBEC.  Thorn scrub, woods.  Senegambia, s Mauritania, s Mali, Burkina Faso, s Niger, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, C. Afr. Rep., s Chad and s Sudan to Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, n,s Somalia, n,ne Zaire, Uganda, Kenya and extreme ne Tanzania.
Sylvietta philippae  SHORT-BILLED CROMBEC.  Dense acacia thickets in arid semi-desert.  Ne Africa in extreme e,se Ethiopia and Somalia.
Sylvietta ruficapilla  RED-CAPPED CROMBEC.  Brachystegia woodland.  In Congo, s Zaire, Angola (exc. se), Zambia, sw Tanzania, Malawi, extreme nw Zimbabwe and nw Mozambique.

Sylvietta whytii  RED-FACED CROMBEC.  Forest edge, woods, acacia savanna.  Se Sudan and sc Ethiopia s  through Uganda,Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania and Malawi to Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
Sylvietta isabellina  SOMALI CROMBEC.  Acacia steppe.  E,s Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya (except w).
Sylvietta rufescens  CAPE CROMBEC.  Arid scrub, moist woods, brachystegia woodland.

The two subspecies have been treated as species, but apparent intermediates have been reported.
 S. r. ansorgei  W Angola.
 S. r. rufescens  In s Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, se Zaire, sw Tanzania, Burundi, Malawi and Mozambique (exc. ne) to s S. Africa.

Hemitesia neumanni  NEUMANN'S WARBLER.  Forest undergrowth.  Mts. above 1350 m of ce Zaire, Rwanda and 1600-2300 m in the Impenetrable Forest of sw Uganda.
 Macrosphenus:  Longbills.  Also called Bush-Warblers, Bush-creepers.  Forest, edge, thickets.  Central Africa  Small (11-12 cm); long, straight bill; feathers of back and rump puffed up in life.  Feed on insects gleaned from foliage.  Nest unknown.
Macrosphenus kempi  KEMP'S LONGBILL.  Forest.  Sierra Leone, se Guinea, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana and sw Nigeria.  Dowsett and Dowsett-Lemaire (1993, p. 358-9) support kempi and flavicans as separate species.

Macrosphenus flavicans  YELLOW LONGBILL.  Forest.  Up to 1200 m in se Nigeria, s Cameroon, Bioko I., Gabon, Congo, nw Angola, Zaire (exc. se), C. Afr. Rep., extreme s Sudan and Uganda.
Macrosphenus concolor  GREY LONGBILL.  Open forest, second growth.  Se Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Gulf of Guinea Is., s Cameroon, sw C. African Rep., n,ne Zaire and Uganda, s to Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Congo and sw,sc,ce Zaire.
Macrosphenus pulitzeri  PULITZER'S LONGBILL.  Forest.  Lowlands of cw Angola.
Macrosphenus kretschmeri  KRETSCHMER'S LONGBILL.  Forest edge, coastal scrub.  Lowlands of extreme se Kenya, c,e Tanzania and ne Mozambique.

Has been assigned to Suaheliornis or Phyllastrephus in the Pycnonotidae (bulbuls), but seems to be a typical Macrosphenus.

Amaurocichla bocagii  BOCAGE'S LONGBILL.  Forest.  São Tomé I. in the Gulf of Guinea, off w Africa.

D. A. Turner (pers. comm.) "would not place this unique São Tomé endemic in the Sylviidae.  Maybe a timaliid?"  The DNA hybridization evidence shows that the babblers (Timaliini) are sylviids.

Hylia prasina  GREEN HYLIA.  Forest, woods, second-growth.  Senegambia, s Mali, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, Fernando Po I., Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Congo, C. African Rep., n,ne Zaire, se Sudan, Uganda, nw Kenya, s to wc,nw Angola, sc,ce Zaire and nw Tanzania.

 Affinities uncertain; has been placed in the Nectariniidae, Sylviidae and monotypic Hyliidae.
 11.5 cm. Dark olive-green above; grayish-olive below; broad greenish or yellowish-white supercilium.  Nest a large, globular or oval structure of plant down, cobwebs,fibers, dead leaves, with a side opening near the top; placed in vertical forks of raphia palms, bushes, or similar sites.  Eggs 1-2, plain white.

Leptopoecile:  Tit-Warblers.  Himalayas of India, Tibet, China.  Food insects.  Nest a domed ball or oval of moss, plant down, fur, feathers, grass, bound with cobwebs and decorated with lichens and cocoons; placed low in a bush.  Eggs 4-6, white with rufous spots.
Leptopoecile sophiae  WHITE-BROWED TIT-WARBLER.  Dwarf juniper scrub, riparian thickets.  Himalayas, 3000-5000 m in Turkestan, n,ne India in Kashmir, Sikkim and n Bhutan, Tibet, w,nc China.
Leptopoecile elegans  CRESTED TIT-WARBLER.  Conifers, dwarf juniper scrub.  Himalayas, 3400-4300 m  of nc,c China in s Kansu, e Tsinghai, Tibet and Szechwan.

Phylloscopus:  Leaf-Warblers, Woodland-Warblers, Chiffchaffs, Warblers.  Forest, woods, shrubs, thickets.  Eurasia, Africa, Melanesia; breeding range of the Arctic Warbler extends to w Alaska.

9-12.5 cm.  Sexes alike in plumage; immatures not obviously different from adults.  Small, slim birds, usually in trees or bushes.  Plumages of many species virtually identical; field identification based mainly on song, habitat and geographic distribution.  Above greenish, brownish or gray; below whitish, yellow or buffy.  Head with a superciliary line, whitish, dusky, rusty, yellowish, rarely orange; usually a dusky to blackish stripe through the eye.  Coronal bands and/or a central crown stripe in a few species.  Wings often with one or two bars; white, yellow, rarely orange.  Tail usually like back, some with white outer webs to some rectrices or a white apical spot.  Food insects, spiders, other small invertebrates, rarely seeds, fruit.  Nest a domed structure with a side entrance; on, or near, the ground; of leaves, moss, grass, twigs.  Eggs 4-9, usually 5-7; unmarked white or white with varying amount of rufous/brown spots.

Phylloscopus laetus  RED-FACED WOODLAND-WARBLER.  Forest.  Mts. 1200-3250 m in ne Zaire, w Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi.
Phylloscopus laurae  LAURA'S WOODLAND-WARBLER.  Forest.  C Angola, se Zaire, n Zambia and sw Tanzania.
Phylloscopus ruficapillus  YELLOW-THROATED WOODLAND-WARBLER.  Forest.  From se Kenya and Tanzania s through Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique and e Zimbabwe to e,s S. Africa in e Transvaal, Natal and s Cape Province.
Phylloscopus herberti  BLACK-CAPPED WOODLAND-WARBLER.  Forest.  Mts. of se Nigeria, Cameroon and Bioko on Fernando Po Island in the Gulf of Guinea.

Phylloscopus budongoensis  UGANDA WOODLAND-WARBLER.  Forest.  Mts. 900-1800 m in ne Zaire, Uganda and w Kenya.
Phylloscopus umbrovirens  BROWN WOODLAND-WARBLER.  Forest, woods.  Mts. from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, n Somalia and sw Arabia s through extreme se Sudan, Uganda and Kenya to ce Zaire, Rwanda and ne,ec Tanzania.
Phylloscopus trochilus  WILLOW WARBLER.  Open woods, scrub, forest edge, towns, riverine thickets, shrub tundra, forest steppe.  From British Isles and n Scandinavia e across n Russia and n Siberia to Anadyrland, and s to s France, n Italy, n Yugoslavia, n Romania, c Russia and sw Siberia in the upper Yenisei River and Lake Baikal area.

Phylloscopus collybita  EURASIAN or COMMON CHIFFCHAFF.  Open forest, edge, towns, scrub.
 The collybita group includes four taxa that may be separate species: collybita, tristis, sindianus and lorenzii.  These have been treated as subspecies of P. collybita, but there is evidence that lorenzii may be a "good" species and that sindianus may be closest to tristis, although they are allopatric.  Vocalizations vary and sindianus and collybita have different cytochrome b patterns, but variation is not well understood.  The form brehmii, usually treated as a subspecies of collybita, has been shown to be a separate species; see below.

P. c. collybita.  Eurasia from British Isles and Scandinavia (exc. n), e across n,c Russia and n,c Siberia to Kolyma River; Canary Is.(
canariensis, exsul); n Mediterranean region incl. Sardinia and Sicily, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, sw Siberia from Altai e to Lake Baikal and nw Mongolia, also locally in w,nw Turkey, Caucasus Mts. usually below 1000 m, Transcaspia, Turkestan, n Iran and e Afghanistan.
 P. c. tristis.  Siberia from Yenisei R. e to Kolyma R. and Lake Baikal.
 P. c. sindianus.  Himalayas, 2000-4400 m in extreme w China in sw Sinkiang, n Pakistan in Gilgit and n India e to Ladakh.  Sindianus is a close relative of tristis despite wide allopatry.

Phylloscopus brehmii  IBERIAN CHIFFCHAFF.  W Pyrenees on the French-Spanish border, the Iberian Peninsula and nw Africa in n Algeria and probably Morocco and Tunisia.

Helbig, et al. (1993. C.R. Acad. Sci. Paris, t. 316, Série III, p. 205-210) discovered an abrupt contact zone between collybita and brehmii when they used DNA sequencing of 300 base pairs of the cytochrome b gene to compare 20 individuals of collybita and 19 or brehmii.  The two hybridize in a narrow belt, but no evidence of mitochondrial gene flow was found, which can be explained if the hybrid females are sterile.  There is no intergradation in the hybrid belt and the two have distinct songs and calls.  Mixed pairs occur in sw France and n Spain and produce viable offspring.  In a sample of 116 pairs, mating was positively assortative between song types; 64% of pairs were members of the same song type, 18% between male brehmii and female collybita, but only 2% between male collybita and female brehmii, and less than 16% involving one or two mixed-singers.  Female collybita respond strongly to male brehmii song, but female brehmii react weakly to male collybita song.  The authors conclude that the two are "at least quasi-species" and that they are "far advanced on their way to speciation."  The decision to treat them as species or subspecies is a matter of opinion, but the lack of mitochondrial intergradation suggests that the female hybrids are sterile and this may be expected to increase, not decrease, the differentiation.

Phylloscopus lorenzii  CAUCASIAN CHIFFCHAFF.  Open forest, edge, towns, scrub.  Mts. 1000-3000 m of sw Asia in ne Turkey and the Caucasus and Transcaucasia, at altitudes below the range of P. c. sindianus.  Often considered conspecific with P. c. sindianus, but lorenzii replaces sindianus altitudinally in the Caucasus area without evidence of hybridization.  P. lorenzii differs in morphology and song.
Phylloscopus neglectus  PLAIN LEAF-WARBLER.  Junipers, oaks.  Mts., 1800-2750 m of sc Asia in Transcaspia, Turkestan, Iran, n Afghanistan, w Pakistan in Baluchistan and n India in Kashmir.
Phylloscopus bonelli  BONELLI'S WARBLER.  Open forest, mostly pine-oak.

Playback experiments of songs and calls suggest that bonelli and orientalis may be separate species.
 P. b. bonelli.  Hills and mts. from France, s Belgium, s Germany, w Austria and Czechoslovakia, s to Morocco and Tunisia, n Mediterranean region e to Italy, Corsica, Sicily and w Yugoslavia.
 P. b. orientalis.  E Mediterranean region in e Yugoslavia, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, w,s Turkey, Near East to Israel and extreme w Iran.

Phylloscopus sibilatrix  WOOD WARBLER.  Forest.  From British Isles, s Scandinavia s of the Arctic Circle and nw Russia e to the Ural Mts., locally e to w Siberia along upper Irtysh River, s to s France, s Italy, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria and the Crimea and w Caucasus.
Phylloscopus fuscatus  DUSKY WARBLER.  Scrub, willow and birch thickets near streams, woodland edge.  S Siberia s of the Arctic Circle from Altai e to Anadyrland, Amurland, n Ussuriland and Sakhalin, Mongolia and ne,c China from e Tsinghai and Kansu e to Heilungkiang and s to sw Tibet and Szechwan.
Phylloscopus fuligiventer  SMOKY WARBLER.  Alpine scrub, meadows.  Himalayas, 3600-4300 m in n India from c Nepal e to Sikkim and Bhutan and s,e Tibet.

Phylloscopus affinis  TICKELL'S LEAF-WARBLER.  Alpine scrub, forest edge, dwarf bamboo.  Himalayas 2700-4900 m in n India from Kashmir e to Nepal and Sikkim, se Tibet and c China from Kansu and Tsinghai s to ne,c Szechwan and n Yunnan.
Phylloscopus subaffinis  BUFF-THROATED WARBLER.  Alpine scrub.  Mts. 915-3660 m of c,s China from se Tsinghai, Szechwan, s Shensi, Hupeh and nw Fukien s to Yunnan, Kwangsi and Kwantung.  Sometimes considered conspecific with P. affinis, but vocalizations are distinct and they are sympatric in c China (Alstrom and Olsson 1992. Bull. Brit. Orn. Club 112:111-125).
Phylloscopus griseolus  SULPHUR-BELLIED WARBLER.  Alpine scrub.  Mts. 2400-4600 m in the Altai in sw Siberia and in Turkestan, s Kazakhstan, n Afghanistan, n Pakistan, n India in Kashmir, w Tibet, w China from w Sinkiang e to Tsinghai, and Mongolia.

Phylloscopus armandii  YELLOW-STREAKED WARBLER.  Willows, poplars, spruce.  Mts. 1460-3355 m of ne,c China from ne Tsinghai, Kansu and Shensi e to Hopeh and Heilungkiang, s to w Szechwan and n Yunnan.
Phylloscopus schwarzi  RADDE'S WARBLER.  Taiga, forest steppe, forest edge, bushes.  S Siberia  from Altai e through Transbaicalia to Amurland, Ussuriland and Sakhalin), Manchuria in Heilungkiang and n Korea.
Phylloscopus pulcher  BUFF-BARRED WARBLER.  Coniferous forest, oak, rhododendrons.  Himalayas, 2100-4300 m, in n India from Kashmir e to Arunachal Pradesh and s to Garo, Khasi and Mizo Hills, Manipur and Nagaland, se Tibet and c China from w Kansu, e Tsinghai and Shensi s through Szechwan to n Yunnan.

Phylloscopus maculipennis  ASH-THROATED WARBLER.  Coniferous forest.  Himalayas, 2100-3400 m in  n India from Kashmir and n Punjab e to Arunachal Pradesh, probably n Assam and Nagaland, se Tibet, s China in sw Szechwan and n Yunnan, w,n,e Burma, nw Thailand, n Laos and Vietnam.
Phylloscopus proregulus  LEMON-RUMPED WARBLER.  Coniferous forest, taiga.  E Asia in s Siberia from Altai e through the L. Baikal region and Transbaicalia to Amurland, Ussuriland and Sakhalin, Mongolia, ne,c China from Kansu, Inner Mongolia and Heilungkiang s to Shensi and Hopeh.
Phylloscopus chloronotus  PALE-RUMPED WARBLER.  Coniferous forest.  Himalayas, 2400-4000 m of n Pakistan w to Afghanistan border, ne India from Kashmir e to Arunachal Pradesh; n Cachar Hills, se Tibet and sc China in s Tsinghai, sw Kansu and Szechwan.  Vocalizations indicate chloronotus is a distinct species (Alstrom and Olsson 1990. Bull. Brit. Orn. Club 110:38-43).

Phylloscopus sichuanensis  SICHUAN WARBLER or CHINESE LEAF-WARBLER.  New species: Alstrom, Olsson and Colston. 1992. Ibis 134:329.  Type specimen from Xin Shu, 208 m, Sichuan Prov., (= Szechwan Prov.), sw China.  Low deciduous second growth mixed with spruce and firs.  Mts. of c China, primarily 1000-2400 m, perhaps more widespread.  A sibling species of proregulus and chloronotus.  Also see Alstrom, Colston and Olsson 1990. Bull Brit. Orn. Club 110:43-47.
Phylloscopus subviridis  BROOKS'S LEAF-WARBLER.  Coniferous forest.  Himalayas, 2100-3600 m in Turkestan, ne Afghanistan and n India.

Phylloscopus inornatus  INORNATE WARBLER.  Taiga.  E Eurasia from the Ural Mts. of nc,se Russia to the n Sayan Mts. in sw Siberia, n China in Heilungkiang, se Siberia in Ussuriland and, possibly, n Korea.

Phylloscopus humei.  BUFF-BROWED WARBLER.  S Sayan Mts. and Altai of sw Siberia, Turkestan, s,e Kazakstan, w,c China in Szechwan and and n Yunnan, se Tibet, ne Afghanistan and n India from Kashmir e to Arunachal Pradesh and s to Bangladesh, Manipur and Nagaland.  Humei differs in vocalizations, habitat and morphology from inornatus.

Phylloscopus borealis  ARCTIC WARBLER.  Open forest, shrugs.  From n Scandinavia e across n Russia and n Siberia to Chukotski Pen., Anadyrland and Kamchatka s to s Siberia from Altai e to Sakhalin (but absent from Ussuriland), Manchuria in n Heilungkiang, Kuril Is. and mts. in Japan; w Alaska from Noatak River and w,c Brooks Range s to sw Alaska, base of Alaska Pen. and Susitna R. highlands.
Phylloscopus trochiloides  GREENISH WARBLER.  Open forest, edge, birch scrub.

The three subspecies groups have been treated as species, but playback vocalization experiments indicate that they are conspecific.  However, B. King (pers. comm.) recommends species status for plumbeitarsus and nitidus, noting that they can be distinguished on plumage characters in the field.
 P. t. trochiloides.  From Scandinavia, ne Germany and n Poland e across c Russia n to lat. 64°N to w Siberia e to Yenisei R. and Altai, and nw Mongolia, s to Kirghiz steppes and Turkestan, e Afghanistan (probably), n India from Kashmir e to Arunachal Pradesh; n Cachar Hills, Nagaland, w,c China in w Sinkiang; from s Kansu and s Shensi s to Szechwan and se Tibet.
 P. t. plumbeitarsus.  E Asia in s Siberia from Yenisei R. e to Kolyma R. region, Amurland, Ussuriland and Sakhalin, s Kuril Is., Mongolia and Manchuria in Heilungkiang, Kirin.

P. t. nitidus.  Mts. 900-3000 m in the Caucasus, Transcaucasus, s Transcaspia, n Turkey, n Iran and nw Afghanistan.

Phylloscopus tenellipes  PALE-LEGGED LEAF-WARBLER.  Forest undergrowth in river valleys.  Se Siberia in Ussuriland, Manchuria in e Heilungkiang and n Korea.
Phylloscopus borealoides  SAKHALIN LEAF-WARBLER.  Forest undergrowth in river valleys.  Se Siberia in Sakhalin, s Kuril Is. and Japan on Hokkaido and Honshu.  Differs from tenellipes in songs and calls.
Phylloscopus magnirostris  LARGE-BILLED LEAF-WARBLER.  Willow thickets, evergreen forest, usually along streams.  Himalayas, 1800-4000 m in n India from Kashmir e to Bhutan and presumably Arunachal Pradesh, s Tibet, c China from sw Kansu and ne Tsinghai s through Szechwan to n Yunnan and ne Burma.

Phylloscopus tytleri  TYTLER'S LEAF-WARBLER.  Pine forest, clearings.  Himalayas, 2400-3600 m in Kashmir, nw India.
Phylloscopus occipitalis  WESTERN CROWNED-WARBLER.  Open forest, willows.  Himalayas, 1800-3200 m in e Afghanistan and nw India in Kashmir.
Phylloscopus coronatus  EASTERN CROWNED-WARBLER.  Forest, woodland.  Locally in se Siberia in e Transbaicalia, Amurland and Ussuriland, nc,ne China, Korea and Japan.
Phylloscopus ijimae  IJIMA'S LEAF-WARBLER.  Woodland undergrowth, bushes, shrubs, around human habitation.  Izu Is. off s Japan.

Phylloscopus reguloides  BLYTH'S LEAF-WARBLER.  Oak and rhododendron forest, woodland.  Himalayas, 1200-3700 m in n India from Kashmir e to Arunachal Pradesh, s to Khasi Hills, Manipur and Nagaland, s Tibet, c,se China from e Tsinghai, Kansu, Shensi, Hupeh, Anhwei and Chekiang s to w Szechwan, Kweichow, Kwangsi, nw Fukien and Hainan Island; w,n,e Burma and s Vietnam in Annam.
Phylloscopus hainanus  HAINAN LEAF-WARBLER.  New species: Olsson, et al. 1993. Ibis 135:1.  Tropical forest above 600 m., on s Hainan Island, off se China.  Similar to reguloides.  Previously confused with P. ricketti.

Phylloscopus davisoni  WHITE-TAILED LEAF-WARBLER.  Woodland, open forest.  Himalayan foothills above 900 m in s China in se Szechwan, se Yunnan, Hunan, nw Fukien and probably Kwantung, ne,s,e Burma (incl. Tenasserim), nw,se Thailand and Indochina.
Phylloscopus cantator  YELLOW-VENTED WARBLER.  Dense evergreen forest.  Mts. 1200-2500 m in ne,e India in Cachar and Chittagong hills, probably Manipur, and Burma exc. Tenasserim.
Phylloscopus ricketti  SULPHUR-BREASTED WARBLER.  Scrubby forest.  Mts. of s China in s Yunnan, Kwangsi, Kweichow, Fukien and Kwantung.  P. ricketti goodsoni (Hainan I.) is a synonym of P. reguloides  (Alstrom, Olsson and Colston 1993. Ibis 134:329-334).

Phylloscopus olivaceus  PHILIPPINE LEAF-WARBLER.  Forest, edge.  Lowlands to 1400 m on the Philippine islands of Samar, Leyte, Negros, Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago.
Phylloscopus cebuensis  LEMON-THROATED LEAF-WARBLER.  Forest, edge.  Lowlands to 1800 m on the Philippine islands of Luzon, Negros and Cebu.  Has been placed in olivaceus, but sympatric on Negros.
Phylloscopus trivirgatus  MOUNTAIN LEAF-WARBLER.  Forest edge, second growth, shrubs.  Mts., 750-3000 m in Malaya, Greater Sunda Is., Lesser Sunda Is. of Lombok and Sumbawa and the Philippines on Luzon, Mindoro, Palawan, Camiguin Sur and Mindanao.

The following four species often are treated as races of P. trivirgatus.

Phylloscopus sarasinorum  SULAWESI LEAF-WARBLER.  Forest.  Mts. of Sulawesi.