Small Whitethroat

Taxobox
name = Small Whitethroat


image_width = 250px
status = LC
status_system = iucn3.1
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
ordo = Passeriformes
familia = Sylviidae
genus = "Sylvia"
species = "S. minula"
binomial = "Sylvia minula"
binomial_authority = Hume, 1873
synonyms ="Sylvia curruca minula"

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

This is the aridland representative of the superspecies, occurring from dry lowlands of Xinjiang westwards to Turkmenistan and possibly into Iran. Following Gloger's Rule, it is paler and more sandy in coloration and lacks the well-marked dark head sides of the Lesser Whitethroat, though the white throat is still distinctive. It is also smaller (see Bergmann's Rule) and has a conspicuously smaller bill, adapted to the different food available in its habitat.

Three subspecies are usually recognized:
* "Sylvia minula munila" - includes "chuancheica"
* "Sylvia minula margelanica"
* "Sylvia minula jaxartica"The latter two might constitute a separate species, Margelanic Whitethroat.

In addition, the presumed Lesser Whitethroat subspecies "halimodendri" and "telengitica" might actually belong to the Small Whitethroat, or alternatively might represent hybrid intergrades between, respectively, "S. m. jaxartica" and "S. m. margelanica" and the Lesser Whitethroat (Snow "et al." 1998).

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