Table 1.
Overview of taxonomic status of focal taxa. (Taxa with sequences new to this study indicated in bold.)
| species | distribution in Africa; habitata | Dowsett & Forbes-Watson (1993) | Monroe & Sibley (1993) | Dickinson (2003) | others |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Achaetops pycnopygius (Rockrunner) | southwest, along Namibian escarpment; grassy hillsides with boulders | Timaliidae incertae sedis | Sylviidae: Acrocephalinae | Timaliidae genus sedis incertae (as Chaetops) | Olson (1989, 1998) placed in Chaetops |
| Sphenoeacus afer (Cape grass-warbler) | southern; tall grasses near fynbos often near water | Sylviidae: Acrocephalinae | White (1960) allied with Achetops and Melocichla in Sphenoeacus | ||
| Bradypterus victorini (Victorin's warbler) | south, along Cape Fold; fynbos | Sylviidae: Acrocephalinae | |||
| Schoenicola brevirostris (Broad-tailed warbler) | sub-Saharan Africa (polytypic); tall grasses near water | Sylviidae: Megalurinae | |||
| Euryptila subcinnamomea (Cinnamon-breasted warbler) | southern; scrub in rocky hills and gorges | Sylviidae: Cisticolinae | Cisticolidae | Cisticolidae | |
| Nicator chloris (Western nicator) | central; forests and woodlands | Malaconotidae incertae sedis | Pycnonotidae | Pynonotidae genus sedis incertae | Olson (1989) placed in Malaconotidae |
| Stenostira scita (Fairy warbler) | southern; summers in Karoo and montane fynbos, winters in thornveld | Monarchidae incertae sedis | Sylviidae: Acrocephalinae | Muscicapidae: Muscicapinae | |
| Promerops cafer (Cape sugarbird) | south, along Cape Fold; flowering Protea stands (sister taxon in eastern grasslands) | Promeropidae | Nectariniidae: Promeropinae | Promeropidae | |
| Namibornis herero (Herero chat) | southwest, along Namibian escarpment; scrub in rocky areas, bases of hills | Turdidae: Saxicolinae | Muscicapidae: Turdinae (Saxicolini) | Muscicapidae: Saxicolinae | |
| Lanioturdus torquatus (White-tailed shrike) | southwest, along Namibian escarpment; thornveld and scrub desert | Malaconotidae (Batis in Platystieridae) | Malaconotidae: Malaconotinae (Batis in Vangini) | Platysteiridae (with Batis) | |
| Chaetops frenatus (Cape rockjumper) | south, along Cape Fold; rocky slopes and scree (sister taxon in eastern grasslands) | Timaliidae incertae sedis | Picathartidae | Timaliidae genus sedis incertae (with Achaetops) | Olson (1989, 1998) made congeneric with A. pycnopygius |
| Picathartes gymnocephalus (White-necked rockfowl) | west; caves and boulders in forest (sister taxon in west Congolia) | Timaliidae incertae sedis | Picathartidae | Picathartidae |
a
From Clancey (1986), Sinclair et al. (2002), Birds of Southern Africa, and van Perlo (2002), Birds of Western and Central Africa.