Qilian bluetail

Qilian bluetail
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Muscicapidae
Genus:	Tarsiger
Species:	T. albocoeruleus
Binomial name
Tarsiger albocoeruleus Meise, 1937

The Qilian bluetail (Tarsiger albocoeruleus) is a small passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae that is found in north-central China. It formerly considered as conspecific with the red-flanked bluetail (Tarsiger cyanurus).

Taxonomy

The Qilian bluetail was formally described in 1937 by the German ornithologist Wilhelm Meise as a subspecies of Tarsiger cyanurus, the red-flanked bluetail.[1] The epithet albocoeruleus combines the Latin albus meaning "white" with caeruleus meaning "blue".[2] It was previously usually considered a synonym of T. cyanurus, until accepted by Hadoram Shirihai and Lars Svensson in 2018,[3] and it was proposed to be a full species in a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2022.[4] It has now been recognised by the IOC World Bird List,[5] and the ebird/Clements Checklist.[6] It is distinctive in genetics and vocalisation, but only marginally different in morphology. The males have bluer fore-supercilium, and less white than in red-flanked bluetail.[4][7]

References

1. Stresemann, Erwin; Meise, W.; Schönwetter, M. (1937). "Aves Beickianae. Beiträge zur Ornithologie von Nordwest-Kansu nach den Forschungen von Walter Beick (†) in den Jahren 1926-1933". Journal für Ornithologie (in German). 85 (3): 375-576 [550-551]. doi:10.1007/BF01905592.
2. Jobling, James A. "albocoeruleus". The Key to Scientific Names. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
3. Shirihai, Hadoram; Svensson, Lars (2018). Handbook of Western Palearctic Birds. Vol. 1: Passerines: Larks to Warblers. London: Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 251–252. ISBN 978-1-4729-3758-2.
4. Wei, C.; Sangster, G.; Olsson, U.; Rasmussen, P.C.; Svensson, L.; Yao, C.-T.; Carey, G.J.; Leader, P.J.; Zhang, R.; Chen, G.; Song, G.; Lei, F.; Wilcove, D.S.; Alström, P.; Liu, Y. (2022). "Cryptic species in a colorful genus: Integrative taxonomy of the bush robins (Aves, Muscicapidae, Tarsiger) suggests two overlooked species". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 175: 107580. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2022.107580.
5. Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (August 2024). "Chats, Old World flycatchers". IOC World Bird List Version 14.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
6. Clements, J.F.; Rasmussen, P.C.; Schulenberg, T.S.; Iliff, M.J.; Fredericks, T.A.; Gerbracht, J.A.; Lepage, D.; Spencer, A.; Billerman, S.M.; Sullivan, B.L.; Smith, M.; Wood, C.L. (2024). "The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Updates and Corrections – October 2024". Retrieved 12 November 2024.
7. Collar, N.; de Juana, E.; Christie, D.A.; Billerman, S.M.; Boesman, P.F.D. (2024). del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J.; Christie, D.A.; de Juana, E.; Smith, M.G. (eds.). "Qilian Bluetail (Tarsiger albocoeruleus), version 1.0". Birds of the World. Ithaca, NY, USA: Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 26 November 2024.