Neumann's Warbler
Hemitesia neumanni
Unusual short-tailed and big-headed warbler. The most obvious marks are the bold black, white, and olive-green stripes on the head. Found in the understory of middle-elevation montane forest, usually in thick, wet areas, as along streams. Most often detected by voice: a sequence of three whistles, “tseew tsee-tyout.” Most similar to Green Hylia, but much shorter-tailed.
Identification
Neumann's warbler is a small bird with an overall length of 10–11 cm (3.9–4.3 in) and a weight of 11.3 g (0.40 oz). It has a large head with a distinctive striped pattern and a very short tail. The broad supercilium is grey-brown and present in front of the eye as a dull greenish and white pattern.<p>The voice is a loud song ("tee-tiyoo-tee", "tee-tyer-tyii", "tyoowi-tyee", "tee-teeyoo-tyoowi" or "tay-tiyoo-tay") intermixing with almost inaudible lipsing notes, and is repeated at regular intervals.
Taxonomy
Neumann's warbler was formally described in 1908 by the English zoologist Water Rothschild from specimens collected in a forested area west of Lake Tanganyika. He proposed the binomial name Sylvietta neumanni. Neumann's warbler is now placed with the pale-footed bush warbler in the genus Hemitesia that was introduced in 1948 by James Chaplin. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek hēmi- meaning "half-" or "small" with the genus Teslia that had been introduced by Brian Hodgson in 1837. The specific epithet neumanni was chosen to honour the German ornithologist Oscar Neumann. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.<p>Neumann's warbler is the only species in the family Cettiidae that is found in Africa.
- Scientific name
- Hemitesia neumanni
- Authority
- (Rothschild, 1908)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Locustellidae
- Genus
- Hemitesia
Range and habitat
This warbler lives in thick undergrowth of montane forest, often near streams, in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, southwest Uganda, western Rwanda and western Burundi.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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