African Desert Warbler
Encyclopedia
The African Desert Warbler Sylvia deserti is a typical warbler
which breeds in the desert
s of northwestern Africa
south of the Atlas Mountains
from southern Morocco
east to western Libya
and south to Mali
and Niger
. It winters in the same area, and does not migrate
other than short distances. Until recently it was considered conspecific
with the Asian Desert Warbler
(and called just "Desert Warbler"), but is now given specific
status. The two are still each other's closest living relatives, and their relationships to other typical warblers are not clear; they may be fairly close to the Whitethroat
. But it seems that all these three taxa are fairly basal
members of the genus
.
It is a small bird, marginally the smallest in the genus, 11–12 cm long, and 7–10 g weight. The sexes are almost identical in colour, pale sandy yellow-brown above and whitish below; the bill and legs are yellowish, and the eye has a yellow iris; it differs from the Asian Desert Warbler in its more yellowish overall colour. Like its relatives, it is insectivorous, but will also take small berries; unlike most warblers, it commonly feeds on the ground. The song is a distinctive jingle often given in an advertisement flight, with clear notes (differing from Asian Desert Warbler in having few harsh notes). It breeds in desert and semi-desert environments, as long as some scattered bushes for nesting occur. The nest is built in low shrub, and 2–5 eggs are laid.
Typical warbler
The typical warblers are small birds belonging to the genus Sylvia in the "Old World warbler" family Sylviidae. There are 28 species currently included in the genus, including five species formerly treated in the genus Parisoma, a treatment which left Sylvia paraphyletic...
which breeds in the desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
s of northwestern Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
south of the Atlas Mountains
Atlas Mountains
The Atlas Mountains is a mountain range across a northern stretch of Africa extending about through Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. The highest peak is Toubkal, with an elevation of in southwestern Morocco. The Atlas ranges separate the Mediterranean and Atlantic coastlines from the Sahara Desert...
from southern Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
east to western Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
and south to Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
and Niger
Niger
Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
. It winters in the same area, and does not migrate
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
other than short distances. Until recently it was considered conspecific
Conspecificity
Conspecificity is a concept in biology. Two or more individual organisms, populations, or taxa are conspecific if they belong to the same species....
with the Asian Desert Warbler
Asian Desert Warbler
The Asian Desert Warbler Sylvia nana is a typical warbler which breeds in the deserts of central and western Asia and the extreme east of Europe , and migrating to similar habitats in southwestern Asia and the far northeast of Africa in winter...
(and called just "Desert Warbler"), but is now given specific
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
status. The two are still each other's closest living relatives, and their relationships to other typical warblers are not clear; they may be fairly close to the Whitethroat
Whitethroat
The Common Whitethroat, Sylvia communis, is a common and widespread typical warbler which breeds throughout Europe and across much of temperate western Asia. This small passerine bird is strongly migratory, and winters in tropical Africa, Arabia and Pakistan.This is one of several Sylvia species...
. But it seems that all these three taxa are fairly basal
Basal (phylogenetics)
In phylogenetics, a basal clade is the earliest clade to branch in a larger clade; it appears at the base of a cladogram.A basal group forms an outgroup to the rest of the clade, such as in the following example:...
members of the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
.
It is a small bird, marginally the smallest in the genus, 11–12 cm long, and 7–10 g weight. The sexes are almost identical in colour, pale sandy yellow-brown above and whitish below; the bill and legs are yellowish, and the eye has a yellow iris; it differs from the Asian Desert Warbler in its more yellowish overall colour. Like its relatives, it is insectivorous, but will also take small berries; unlike most warblers, it commonly feeds on the ground. The song is a distinctive jingle often given in an advertisement flight, with clear notes (differing from Asian Desert Warbler in having few harsh notes). It breeds in desert and semi-desert environments, as long as some scattered bushes for nesting occur. The nest is built in low shrub, and 2–5 eggs are laid.