| Grasshopper warblers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Savi's warbler (Locustella luscinioides) | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Locustellidae |
| Genus: | Locustella Kaup, 1829 |
| Type species | |
| Sylvia locustella[1] Latham, 1790 | |
| Species | |
see text | |
Thegrass warblers are smallpasserine birds belonging to thegenusLocustella. Formerly placed in theparaphyletic "Old World warbler" assemblage, they are now considered the northernmost representatives of a largelyGondwanan family, theLocustellidae.
These are rather drab brownish "warblers" usually associated with fairly open grassland, shrubs or marshes. Some are streaked, others plain, all are difficult to view. They areinsectivorous.
The most characteristic feature of this group is that the song of several species is a mechanicalinsect-like reeling which gives rise to the group's scientific name.
Species breeding in temperate regions are stronglymigratory.
The genusLocustella was introduced by the German naturalistJohann Jakob Kaup in 1829 with thecommon grasshopper warbler (Locustella naevia) as thetype species.[2][3] The genus nameLocustella is fromLatin and is a diminutive oflocusta, "grasshopper".[4] Like the English name, this refers to the insect-like song of some species.[5]
There are 23 species placed in the genus:[6]
This genus formerly included additional species. Amolecular phylogenetic study of the grassbird familyLocustellidae published in 2018 found that the genusLocustella consisted of two distinct clades. The genus was split and six species were moved to the newly erected genusHelopsaltes.[7][6]
Afossilacrocoracoid from theLate Miocene (about 11 mya) ofRudabánya (NEHungary) is quite similar to this bone in the present genus.[8] Given its rather early age (mostPasserida genera are not known until thePliocene), it is not too certain that it is correctly placed here, but it is highly likely to belong to the Locustellidae, or theSylvioidea at the least. As the grasshopper warblers are the only known locustellid warblers from Europe, it is still fairly likely that the bone piece belongs to abasalLocustella.
 | ThisLocustellidae-related article is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |