Akalat
Encyclopedia
The akalats are medium-sized insectivorous
bird
s in the genus
Sheppardia. They were formerly placed in the thrush
family
, Turdidae, but are more often now treated as part of the Old World flycatcher family
Muscicapidae.
These are Africa
n forest
-dwelling species
.
Species are:
, who had never visited Africa, associated the akalats, in their Bulu
appellation, with birds of "different kinds" occurring in the forest understorey
. His main collector in West Africa, George L. Bates, denoted them more specifically as "little members of the genus Turdinus, which are called in Fang
and Bulu "Akalat"....". The latter genus denoted a group of Old World babbler
s, currently classed as near-babblers in the genus Illadopsis
.
Bannerman
's volumes on West African birds, published from 1930 through to 1951, became well-established reference works for the region, and retained the name akalat for Trichastoma, which is Illadopsis. Reichenow however classed Turdinus batesi as an Alethe
, then in the Turdidae (thrushes and flycatchers), followed by Jackson and Sclater in 1938 who applied it to Sheppardia specifically. Mackworth-Praed and Grant (1953, 1955) and Williams (1963 - 1980s) retained their usage. In 1964 the name was still recorded as denoting both groups, namely the Malococincla, i.e. Illadopsis
near-babblers in West Africa, and the Sheppardia chats in East African literature, though the latter convention prevailed in modern times.
Yet the calls of the aforementioned species only doubtfully agree with the akalat's appellation as an omen of death. It is recorded that the akalat's forest song, respectively referred to as "Boofio" and "Woofio" by the Bulu and Ntumu peoples, is believed by them to predict the death of a near parent who bids them farewell with this song.
Insectivore
An insectivore is a type of carnivore with a diet that consists chiefly of insects and similar small creatures. An alternate term is entomophage, which also refers to the human practice of eating insects....
bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s in 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...
Sheppardia. They were formerly placed in the thrush
Thrush (bird)
The thrushes, family Turdidae, are a group of passerine birds that occur worldwide.-Characteristics:Thrushes are plump, soft-plumaged, small to medium-sized birds, inhabiting wooded areas, and often feed on the ground or eat small fruit. The smallest thrush may be the Forest Rock-thrush, at and...
family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
, Turdidae, but are more often now treated as part of the Old World flycatcher family
Old World flycatcher
The Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae is a large family of small passerine birds mostly restricted to the Old World. These are mainly small arboreal insectivores, many of which, as the name implies, take their prey on the wing.-Characteristics:...
Muscicapidae.
These are 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...
n forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
-dwelling species
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...
.
Species are:
- Bocage's AkalatBocage's AkalatThe Bocage's Akalat is a species of bird in the Muscicapidae family. It is found in Angola, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Zambia...
, - Lowland AkalatLowland AkalatThe Lowland Akalat is a species of bird in the Muscicapidae family.It is found in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and Uganda.Its natural habitats...
, - Equatorial AkalatEquatorial AkalatThe Equatorial Akalat is a species of bird in the Muscicapidae family.It is found in Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, and Uganda....
, - Sharpe's AkalatSharpe's AkalatThe Sharpe's Akalat is a species of bird in the Muscicapidae family.It is found in Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia.Its natural habitats are boreal forests and subtropical or tropical moist montanes.-References:...
, - East Coast AkalatEast Coast AkalatThe East Coast Akalat or Gunning's Robin is a small passerine bird which can be found in the east of Africa from Kenya to Mozambique, and is named after J. W. B...
, - Gabela AkalatGabela AkalatThe Gabela Akalat is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is endemic to Angola. The name is, in part, derived from the town, Gabela, where they were first observed....
, - Usambara AkalatUsambara AkalatThe Usambara Akalat , also known as the Usambara Alethe or Usambara Robin-chat, is a species of bird in the Muscicapidae family.It is endemic to Tanzania....
, - Iringa AkalatIringa AkalatThe Iringa Akalat is a species of bird in the Muscicapidae family.It is endemic to Tanzania.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes.It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:...
, - Rubeho AkalatRubeho AkalatThe Rubeho Akalat, Sheppardia aurantiithorax, is a member of the Old World flycatcher family , known from the Eastern Arc of Tanzania. Akalats trapped in 1989 here were assumed to be an isolated population of Iringa Akalat which occurs c. 150 km to the south, but further specimens collected in...
,
Etymology
SharpeRichard Bowdler Sharpe
Richard Bowdler Sharpe was an English zoologist.-Biography:Sharpe was born in London and studied at Brighton College, The King's School, Peterborough and Loughborough Grammar School. At the age of sixteen he went to work for Smith & Sons in London...
, who had never visited Africa, associated the akalats, in their Bulu
Bulu language
Bulu is the language of the Bulu people of Cameroon. The language had 174,000 native speakers in 1982, with some 800,000 second language speakers in 1991. Colonial and missionary groups formerly used Bulu as a lingua franca in the region for commercial, educational, and religious purposes, though...
appellation, with birds of "different kinds" occurring in the forest understorey
Understory
Understory is the term for the area of a forest which grows at the lowest height level below the forest canopy. Plants in the understory consist of a mixture of seedlings and saplings of canopy trees together with understory shrubs and herbs...
. His main collector in West Africa, George L. Bates, denoted them more specifically as "little members of the genus Turdinus, which are called in Fang
Fang language
Fang is the dominant Bantu language of Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. It is related to the Bulu and Ewondo languages of southern Cameroon. Fang is spoken in northern Gabon, southern Cameroon, and throughout Equatorial Guinea. Shakira used this language in her song, "Waka Waka .".There are many...
and Bulu "Akalat"....". The latter genus denoted a group of Old World babbler
Old World babbler
The Old World babblers or timaliids are a large family of mostly Old World passerine birds. They are rather diverse in size and coloration, but are characterised by soft fluffy plumage. These are birds of tropical areas, with the greatest variety in Southeast Asia and the Indian Subcontinent...
s, currently classed as near-babblers in the genus Illadopsis
Illadopsis
Illadopsis is a genus of secretive forest birds in the Timaliidae family. All are found in tropical Africa, where they frequent the lower strata of forests, and reveal themselves mostly by their whistled call notes...
.
Bannerman
David Armitage Bannerman
David Armitage Bannerman OBE, MA, SD , Hon. LL.D. , FRSE, FZS was a British ornithologist.-Biography:After graduating from Pembroke College, Cambridge in 1909, Bannerman travelled extensively in Africa, the West Indies, South America and the Atlantic Islands.Rejected on health grounds by the...
's volumes on West African birds, published from 1930 through to 1951, became well-established reference works for the region, and retained the name akalat for Trichastoma, which is Illadopsis. Reichenow however classed Turdinus batesi as an Alethe
Alethe
The Alethes are small mainly insectivorous birds in the genus Alethe of the Old World flycatcher and chat family Muscicapidae. The genus is one of many chats moved from the thrush family to the flycatchers.All are African species:...
, then in the Turdidae (thrushes and flycatchers), followed by Jackson and Sclater in 1938 who applied it to Sheppardia specifically. Mackworth-Praed and Grant (1953, 1955) and Williams (1963 - 1980s) retained their usage. In 1964 the name was still recorded as denoting both groups, namely the Malococincla, i.e. Illadopsis
Illadopsis
Illadopsis is a genus of secretive forest birds in the Timaliidae family. All are found in tropical Africa, where they frequent the lower strata of forests, and reveal themselves mostly by their whistled call notes...
near-babblers in West Africa, and the Sheppardia chats in East African literature, though the latter convention prevailed in modern times.
Yet the calls of the aforementioned species only doubtfully agree with the akalat's appellation as an omen of death. It is recorded that the akalat's forest song, respectively referred to as "Boofio" and "Woofio" by the Bulu and Ntumu peoples, is believed by them to predict the death of a near parent who bids them farewell with this song.