The apalises are small passerine birds belonging to the genus Apalis, in the family Cisticolidae. They are found in forest, woodlands and scrub across most parts of sub-Saharan Africa. They are slender birds with long tails and have a slender bill for catching insects. They are typically brown, grey or green above and several species have brightly coloured underparts. Males and females are usually similar in appearance but the males are sometimes brighter.
Taxonomy The genus was erected by the English naturalist William Swainson in 1833. The type species is the bar-throated apalis. The name Apalis is from the Ancient Greek hapalos meaning "delicate" or "gentle". Apalises were traditionally classified in the Old World warbler family Sylviidae but are now commonly placed, together with several other groups of mainly African warblers, in a separate family Cisticolidae.
There are about 24 species of apalis; the exact number varies according to differing authorities. The African tailorbird and long-billed tailorbird were formerly considered to be apalises but are now often placed either with the tailorbirds (Orthotomus) or in their own genus Artisornis. The red-fronted prinia or red-faced apalis has also been moved into a different genus, Prinia. Further shuffling may be necessary as a recent study found the genus to be polyphyletic, with two species (black-collared and Ruwenzori apalises) only distantly related to the other three tested.
Species list The genus contains 26 species: Image Common name Scientific name Distribution Bar-throated apalis Apalis thoracica Afromontane and proximate elevated areas of southeastern Africa Yellow-throated apalis Apalis flavigularis Malawi. Taita apalis Apalis fuscigularis Kenya Namuli apalis Apalis lynesi Mozambique Rudd's apalis Apalis ruddi Mozambique, southern Malawi, South Africa and Eswatini Brown-tailed apalis Apalis flavocincta Ethiopia, Sudan, and Uganda to Somalia and Kenya Yellow-breasted apalis Apalis flavida Sub-Saharan Africa Lowland masked apalis Apalis binotata Angola, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Tanzania, and Uganda Mountain masked apalis Apalis personata Albertine Rift montane forests Black-throated apalis Apalis jacksoni Cameroon to Kenya White-winged apalis Apalis chariessa Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania Black-capped apalis Apalis nigriceps African tropical rainforest Black-headed apalis Apalis melanocephala Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Somalia, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe Chirinda apalis Apalis chirindensis Zimbabwe and Mozambique Chestnut-throated apalis Apalis porphyrolaema Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda Kabobo apalis Apalis kaboboensis Democratic Republic of the Congo Chapin's apalis or chestnut-headed apalis Apalis chapini Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia Sharpe's apalis Apalis sharpii Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone Buff-throated apalis Apalis rufogularis Angola, Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia Kungwe apalis Apalis argentea Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Tanzania Karamoja apalis Apalis karamojae Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya Maasai apalis Apalis stronachi Tanzania and Kenya Bamenda apalis Apalis bamendae Cameroon Gosling's apalis Apalis goslingi Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Gabon Grey apalis Apalis cinerea Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda Brown-headed apalis Apalis alticola Angola, Zambia, Malawi, south-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Kenya Formerly in Apalis but now moved to Oreolais:
Black-collared apalis, Oreolais pulchra Rwenzori apalis or collared apalis, Oreolais ruwenzorii
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Further reading