The hyliotas are a genus, Hyliota, of passerine bird from Africa. The taxonomic position of the genus has been a longstanding mystery. They have been formerly regarded as Old World warblers in the family Sylviidae, or related to the batises and wattle-eyes in the family Platysteiridae, bush-shrikes in the family Malaconotidae, or even Old-World flycatchers in the family Muscicapidae. An analysis of the mitochondrial DNA of the genus and possible relatives found they have no close relatives and are basal in the clade Passerida. They are now often regarded as a family in their own right, Hyliotidae.[2]

Hyliota
Violet-backed hyliota (Hyliota violacea)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Hyliotidae
Genus: Hyliota
Swainson, 1837
Type species
Hyliota flavigaster[1]
Swainson, 1837

The hyliotas are found in the canopy of broad-leaf forests. They usually do not live in groups but will join mixed-species feeding flocks with other species. They are territorial and pairs are monogamous, nesting in camouflaged woven nests.

Species

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Hyliota contains the following species:

References

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  1. ^ "Hyliotidae". aviansystematics.org. The Trust for Avian Systematics. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
  2. ^ Fuchs, Jérôme; et al. (2006). "The African warbler genus Hyliota as a lost lineage in the Oscine songbird tree: Molecular support for an African origin of the Passerida". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 39 (1): 186–197. Bibcode:2006MolPE..39..186F. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2005.07.020. PMID 16182572.