Old World Warblers (Sylviidae)
Chestnut-vented Warbler (Sylvia subcaerulea) - HBW 11, p. 708
French: Parisome grignette
German: Meisengrasmücke
Spanish: Curruca Sureña
Other common names: Cape Warbler/Tit-babbler/Tit-warbler, Chestnut-vented Tit-babbler, Rufous-vented Warbler, Southern Warbler/Tit-warbler, Tit Babbler
Taxonomy: Sylvia subcaerulea Vieillot, 1817, Gourits River, Western Cape, South Africa.
Formerly placed in genus Parisoma within babbler family (Timaliidae), but recent studies of morphology, behaviour, vocalizations and mitochondrial DNA indicate that it is better included in present genus. Geographical differences in plumage coloration seem to be mainly clinal, and intermediates frequent; validity of some races merits further study. Proposed race ombuensis (described from WC Namibia) synonymized with cinerascens, which intergrades rather widely with nominate and with ansorgei. Four subspecies recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution:
- ansorgei (Zedlitz, 1921) - SW & S Angola.
- cinerascens (Reichenow, 1902) - Namibia and Botswana.
- subcaerulea Vieillot, 1817 - W South Africa (E to SW Free State and Eastern Cape).
- orpheana (Clancey, 1954) - W & C Zimbabwe, South Africa (W Northern Province S to Free State, also locally KwaZulu-Natal) and lowland Lesotho.
- Least Concern Enlarge map
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A bird looking everywhere on a branch Locality Kimberley, Northern Cape Province, South Africa (ssp orpheana)
Helmut Schenkel Brunner 31 July 2003 5 years ago 13 sec 4.2 -
An individual foraging and singing Locality Langebaan, Western Cape Province, South Africa (ssp subcaerulea)
Greg Baker 25 September 2002 37 weeks ago 36 sec 4 -
A bird feeding in a dense bush Locality Sossusvlei, Namib-Naukluft National Park, Namibia (ssp cinerascens)
Keith Blomerley 23 January 2007 5 years ago 19 sec 2.6
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an adult specimen
Locality Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (Kalahari Gemsbok NP), Northern Cape Province, South Africa
Marco Valentini 11 August 2010 1 year ago 4.4 -
An adult foraging in thich vegetation.
Locality Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (Kalahari Gemsbok NP), Northern Cape Province, South Africa
Lindsay Hansch 5 October 2008 2 years ago 3.8 -
A bird on a branch
Locality Namib-Naukluft National Park, Namibia (ssp cinerascens)
Aleix Comas 22 August 2007 3 years ago 3.8 -
Perched for a moment
Locality Mokala National Park, Northern Cape Province, South Africa (ssp orpheana)
Loutjie Steenberg 21 October 2010 2 years ago 2.8 -
Seen from underneath perched in Acacia karroo.
Locality Karoo National Park, Western Cape Province, South Africa (ssp subcaerulea )
Loutjie Steenberg 22 December 2010 2 years ago 2 -
An adult, between bushes.
Locality Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (Kalahari Gemsbok NP), Northern Cape Province, South Africa (ssp cinerascens)
Carmelo López 3 December 2010 2 years ago 2
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Song. Okakuejo Waterhole. Etosha NP. 3:32pm. Locality Etosha National Park, Kunene Region, Namibia
(ssp cinerascens)
Charles Hesse 15 November 2009 3 years ago 4
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