• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Robsonius babblers (1 Viewer)

Richard Klim

Richard Klim

-------------------------
Hosner, Boggess, Alviola, Sánchez-González, Oliveros, Urriza & Moyle 2013. Phylogeography of the Robsonius ground-warblers (Passeriformes: Locustellidae) reveals an undescribed species from northeastern Luzon, Philippines. La filogeografía de Robsonius (Passeriformes: Locustellidae) revela una especie no descripta del noreste de Luzón, Filipinas. Condor 115(3): 630–639. [abstract]

Is the new species described/named...?
 
Last edited:
Yes the new species is described: "We suggest new English names that highlight the restricted distributions and geographic areas of endemism occupied by each species within Luzon: Robsonius rabori, Cordillera Ground-Warbler; R. thompsoni, Sierra Madre Ground-Warbler; and R. sorsogonensis, Bicol Ground-Warbler."
 
Robsonius thompsoni is named for Prof. Max C. Thompson, US biologist and collector (after whom Erythropitta erythrogaster thompsoni is also named).
 
Common names

Daniel Philippe said:
"We suggest new English names that highlight the restricted distributions and geographic areas of endemism occupied by each species within Luzon: Robsonius rabori, Cordillera Ground-Warbler; R. thompsoni, Sierra Madre Ground-Warbler; and R. sorsogonensis, Bicol Ground-Warbler."
Click to expand...
Although I respect the logic, the lack of any element of continuity in changing directly from 'Grey-banded Babbler' to 'Bicol Ground-Warbler' etc could be rather confusing.

[See also: Philippine 'babblers'.]
 
Does anyone have access to the full paper? it seems like the August Issue is not yet available through BioOne.

Aim going to the Philippines in a few days time, will only spend a day or so on Luzon so unlikely to find any of them (focusing my time on Mindanao), but would make for interesting reading on the flight over there.
 
Are there any other Luzon "superspecies"* with three allopatric representatives on the island? It sounds like quite a novel bio-geographic pattern based on my limited knowledge of the birds only. Des?

cheers, alan
 
Richard Klim said:
Hosner, Boggess, Alviola, Sánchez-González, Oliveros, Urriza & Moyle 2013. Phylogeography of the Robsonius ground-warblers (Passeriformes: Locustellidae) reveals an undescribed species from northeastern Luzon, Philippines. La filogeografía de Robsonius (Passeriformes: Locustellidae) revela una especie no descripta del noreste de Luzón, Filipinas. Condor 115(3): 630–639. [abstract]

Is the new species described/named...?
Click to expand...

TiF Update September 2:
Hosner et al. (2013c) found a previously undiscovered Robsonius species, the Sierra Madre Ground-Warbler Robsonius thompsoni. I've also adopted their suggested English names as primary names for the other two Robsonius: Bicol Ground-Warbler for Robsonius sorsogonensis and Cordillera Ground-Warbler for Robsonius rabori.
[Locustellidae, Paroidea & Sylvioidea I, 2.73]
 
lewis20126 said:
Are there any other Luzon "superspecies"* with three allopatric representatives on the island? It sounds like quite a novel bio-geographic pattern based on my limited knowledge of the birds only. Des?

cheers, alan
Click to expand...

Des is still in Africa I think. I have requested the file as we are currently updating the philippine taxonomy.
 
Diagnosis

Roy'N said:
Except range, what's the difference between the two north Luzon species, Robsonius rabori and Robsonius thompsoni?
Click to expand...
Hosner et al 2013...
Diagnosis. Adult plumage: Robsonius thompsoni (cover; Fig. 3C) is most similar to R. rabori (Fig. 3A) but differs in three plumage characters: presence of a necklace of black spots (lacking in R. rabori), black feather tips on the throat and submoustachial area (pale gray in R. rabori), and a uniform gray breast with pale feather shafts and faint darker edging (in R. rabori, breast feathers have broad white bases and centers and gray edges, lending the breast a scaled appearance). ...
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
Thyoloalethe,

That is correct. At this point, almost all information published and on the internet about "R. rabori" (except Ilocos Norte, NW Luzon) now pertains to R. thompsoni. This includes recordings on Xeno-canto, most sightings in eBird, the nest description, etc.

Taxonomic priority. It's great, except when its not!
 
IOC Updates Diary:

Sept 15 Post “Sierra Madre” Ground Warbler to Updates/PS List; revisit English names of species
Sept 15 Change group name of Robsonius spp from Babbler to Ground Warbler
Sept 15 Move Robsonius from Pellorneidae to Locustellidae
 
Hutchinson & Bizid 2015

Hutchinson & Bizid 2015. The Philippine 'ground warblers'. BirdingASIA 23: 108–110.

(Includes a new photo of Sierra Madre Ground Warbler Robsonius thompsoni taken by Abdelhamid Bizid on Mount Cabulao, Sierra Madre, Aurora province in Apr 2014.)

  • Hosner et al 2013. Condor 115(3): 630–639. [pdf]

  • Oliveros et al 2012. Mol Phylogenet Evol 65(2): 799–804. [pdf]
 
Last edited:
Warning! This thread is more than 9 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top