Subalpine Warbler split into three different species

Subalpine warblers … bringing back good memories …

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North African Birds

In a new paper, prominent ornithologist Lars Svensson summarised the recent research on the taxonomy of the Subalpine Warbler (Sylvia cantillans) and recommended the split of the complex into three separate species:

– Western Subalpine Warbler (Sylvia inornata), with two subspecies: inornata and iberiae (a new subspecies described in the paper for the birds breeding in the Iberian Peninsula, southern France and extreme north-west Italy),

– Eastern Subalpine Warbler (Sylvia cantillans), with two subspecies: cantillans and albistriata, and

– Moltoni’s Warbler (Sylvia subalpina, monotypic).

The taxon cantillans, historically associated with western birds (i.e. from Iberia), is now one of the subspecies of the Eastern Subalpine Warbler because the type specimen of cantillans is a bird collected from Italy and found out to belong to the Eastern Subalpine Warbler. And that’s why Lars Svensson created a new name for the Iberian birds…

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