The grey-throated warbler (Myiothlypis cinereicollis) is a species of bird in the family Parulidae, the New World warblers. It is found in Colombia and Venezuela.
Taxonomy and systematics
The grey-throated warbler was formally described in 1864 with the binomial Basileuterus cinereicollis. By 2007 taxonomic systems had begun to resurrect genus Myiothlypis, which had been erected in 1850, for the grey-throated warbler and many other species.Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, D. F. Lane, L, N. Naka, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 27 February 2026. A classification of the bird species of South America. South American Classification Committee associated with the International Ornithologists' Union. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved February 28, 2026BirdLife International (2007) Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world. [Old] Version 0. Available at: https://datazone.birdlife.org/about-our-science/taxonomy
The grey-throated warbler has these three subspecies:
M. c. pallidula (Wetmore, 1941) M. c. zuliensis (Aveledo & Peréz, 1994) M. c. cinereicollis (Sclater, PL, 1864)
Description
The grey-throated warbler is about long. The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies M. c. cinereicollis have a mostly medium gray head with a bright yellow crown stripe with dark gray borders, a thin blackish line through the eye, and a pale gray throat. Their upperparts, wings, and tail are olive green. Their breast is pale gray and the rest of their underparts are yellow. Subspecies M. c. pallidula averages slightly paler than the nominate but is otherwise the same. M. c. zuliensis has paler olive-gray crown stripes, face, and nape than the nominate, with a paler gray breast and a darker yellow belly. All subspecies have a dark iris, a blackish brown bill, and yellowish pink legs and feet.Curson, J. (2020). Gray-throated Warbler (Myiothlypis cinereicollis), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.gytwar1.01 retrieved July 16, 2026
Distribution and habitat
The subspecies of the grey-throated warbler are found thus:
M. c. pallidula: extreme northwestern part of the Serranía del Perijá in northeastern Colombia M. c. zuliensis: Serranía del Perijá straddling the Colombia/Venezuela border M. c. cinereicollis: Venezuelan Andes in Mérida and Táchira states and south along Colombia's Eastern Andes to the Bogotá area
The grey-throated warbler primarily inhabits the edges and interior of humid premontane forest and is also found in secondary forest whose understory is undisturbed. In Venezuela it ranges in elevation between and in Colombia between .
Behavior Movement
The grey-throated warbler is a sedentary year-round resident.
Feeding
The grey-throated warbler's diet has not been studied. The species usually forages in the forest understory, remaining in cover. It sometimes joins mixed-species feeding flocks in Colombia but apparently not in Venezuela.
Breeding
The grey-throated warbler's breeding season has not been defined but includes June. The one known nest was shaped like an oven on a steep earthen bank under an overhang. It was made from bark fibers, twigs, and vines and held two nestlings. Nothing else is known about the species' breeding biology.
Vocalization
The grey-throated warbler is not highly vocal. What is thought to be its song is "3-6 high-pitched wispy notes, sa see-see-sa-SEE! or swee-swee-se-SEET!, or longer we, we-E-E-a-WEEK!". The song is "variable but always weak and insignificant" and easily overlooked.
Status
The IUCN originally in 1988 assessed the grey-throated warbler as Threatened, then in 1994 as Near Threatened, and since 2023 as of Least Concern. It has a large range; its population size is not known and is believed to be decreasing. "Forests within the range are cleared and degraded, largely for agricultural cultivation, pasture and colonisation. Understory removal for shade-coffee production is perhaps the most important threat at present." The species is considered "rare and/or local" in Venezuela and uncommon in Colombia.
References