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.[1] 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.
The genus was erected by the English naturalist William John Swainson in 1833. The type species is the bar-throated apalis.[2] [3] The name Apalis is from the Ancient Greek hapalos meaning "delicate" or "gentle".[4] 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.[5]
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.[6] Further shuffling may be necessary as a recent study[7] found the genus to be polyphyletic, with two species (black-collared and Ruwenzori apalises) only distantly related to the other three tested.
The genus contains 25 species:[8]
| Image | Common Name | Scientific Name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apalis thoracica | Tropical Africa | ||
| Apalis flavigularis | Malawi. | ||
| Apalis fuscigularis | Kenya. | ||
| Apalis lynesi | Mozambique | ||
| Apalis ruddi | Mozambique, southern Malawi, South Africa and Eswatini. | ||
| Apalis flavocincta[9] | Ethiopia, Sudan, and Uganda to Somalia and Kenya. | ||
| Apalis flavida | Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, DRC, Ivory Coast, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. | ||
| Apalis binotata | Angola, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Tanzania, and Uganda. | ||
| Apalis personata | Uganda | ||
| Apalis jacksoni | Cameroon to Kenya, | ||
| Apalis chariessa | Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania. | ||
| Apalis nigriceps | Sub-Saharan Africa. | ||
| Apalis melanocephala | Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Somalia, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. | ||
| Apalis chirindensis | Zimbabwe and Mozambique. | ||
| Apalis porphyrolaema | Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda | ||
| Apalis kaboboensis | Democratic Republic of the Congo | ||
| Chapin's apalis or chestnut-headed apalis | Apalis chapini | Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia. | |
| Apalis sharpii | Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. | ||
| 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. | ||
| Apalis argentea | Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Tanzania. | ||
| Apalis karamojae[10] | Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya. | ||
| Apalis bamendae | Cameroon. | ||
| Apalis goslingi | Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Gabon. | ||
| Apalis cinerea | Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. | ||
| Apalis alticola | Angola, Zambia, Malawi, south-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Kenya | ||