Hume's Whitethroat

Taxobox
name = Hume's Whitethroat

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image_width = 250px
image_caption = This painting of a Lesser Whitethroat shows a dark individual more similar to Hume's Whitethroat.
status = LC
status_system = iucn3.1
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
ordo = Passeriformes
familia = Sylviidae
genus = "Sylvia"
species = "S. althaea"
binomial = "Sylvia althaea"
binomial_authority = Hume, 1878
synonyms = "Sylvia althaea althaea" "Sylvia althaea monticola" "Sylvia curruca althaea"

Hume's Whitethroat, "Sylvia althaea", is a species of typical warbler. Until recently, it was considered conspecific with the Lesser Whitethroat; today these are seen as members of a superspecies which also includes the Small Whitethroat. The present species together with the aridland Small Whitethroat(s) seems to form an Asian lineage in the superspecies.(Helbig 2001, Jønsson & Fjeldså 2006)

It is distinguished from the Lesser Whitethroat by its darker top of the head and browner back, which results in a coloration of the entire upper head to back region that does not have strong contrasts. Their ranges do not seem to overlap; Hume's Whitethroat inhabits upland regions of Iran and northeastwards into Central Asia to the western reaches of the Himalayas.

No subspecies are currently recognized by most authors. From the Balkans to the Caucasus Mountains however, "Sylvia curruca caucasica" occurs which is intermediate between the Lesser and Hume's Whitethroats (Snow "et al." 1998). It is presently not clear whether the eastern part of this population is correctly assigned to the European species, or consists of hybrids in a contact zone.

References

* Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern

* Helbig, A. J. (2001): Phylogeny and biogeography of the genus "Sylvia". "In:" Shirihai, Hadoram: "Sylvia warblers": 24-29. Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J. ISBN 0691088330

* Jønsson, Knud A. & Fjeldså, Jon (2006): A phylogenetic supertree of oscine passerine birds (Aves: Passeri). "Zool. Scripta" 35(2): 149–186. doi|:10.1111/j.1463-6409.2006.00221.x (HTML abstract)

* Snow, David W.; Perrins, Christopher M.; Doherty, Paul & Cramp, Stanley (1998): "The complete birds of the western Palaearctic on CD-ROM". Oxford University Press. ISBN 0192685791