Bradypterus

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title: "Bradypterus" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["bradypterus", "locustellidae", "bird-genera", "birds-of-sub-saharan-africa", "taxa-named-by-william-swainson"] description: "Genus of birds" topic_path: "general/bradypterus" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradypterus" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Genus of birds ::

| name = Bradypterus | image = African Bush-warbler (Bradypterus baboecala), dorsal side view.jpg | image_caption = Little rush warbler (Bradypterus baboecala) | taxon = Bradypterus | authority = Swainson, 1837 | type_species = Bradypterus platyurus | type_species_authority = Swainson, 1837 | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = 12, but see text

Bradypterus is a genus of small insectivorous songbirds ("warblers") in the newly recognized grass warbler family (Locustellidae). They were formerly placed in the Sylviidae, which at that time was a wastebin taxon for the warbler-like Sylvioidea. The range of this genus extends through the warm regions from Africa around the Indian Ocean and far into Asia.

Taxonomy

The genus Bradypterus (misspelled as Bradyptetus) introduced in 1837 by the English zoologist William Swainson to accommodate a single species, Bradypterus platyurus Swainson. This, the type species, is a junior synonym of Sylvia baboecala Vieillot, the little rush warbler.

The locustellid bush warblers are related to the grass warblers of Locustella and Megalurus, but share lifestyle and related adaptations and apomorphies with bush warblers in the family Cettiidae. These belong to an older lineage of Sylvioidea. Both "bush warbler" genera are smallish birds well adapted to climbing among shrubbery. They are markedly long-tailed birds, at first glance somewhat reminiscent of wrens.

These are quite terrestrial birds, which live in densely vegetated habitats like thick forest and reedbeds. They will walk away from disturbance rather than flush. The plumage similarities and skulking lifestyle make these birds hard to see and identify.

Locustellid bush warblers tend towards greyish browns above and buffish or light grey tones below. They have little patterning apart from the ubiquitous supercilium. Altogether, they appear much like the plainer species among Acrocephalus marsh-warblers in coloration. Cettiid bush warblers tend to be somewhat more compact, with less pointed tails, but are otherwise very similar.

Species

This genus has been recently revised. The Sri Lanka bush warbler is sometimes placed in this genus but is now placed in its own monotypic genus (Elaphrornis). Several other former members of this genus (e.g. the Chinese bush warbler) are now placed in Locustella. Victorin's warbler is no longer a member of this genus or even the family Locustellidae, but is now placed in its own monotypic genus Cryptillas in the African warbler family Macrosphenidae.

The genus contains 12 species:

• Knysna warbler, Bradypterus sylvaticus – south, east South Africa
• Bangwa forest warbler, Bradypterus bangwaensis – southeast Nigeria, west Cameroon
• Barratt's warbler, Bradypterus barratti – southeast Africa
• Evergreen forest warbler, Bradypterus lopezi – central, east Africa
• Cinnamon bracken warbler, Bradypterus cinnamomeus – central, east, southeast Africa
• Grey emutail, Bradypterus seebohmi – montane northwest, northeast to central east Madagascar
• Brown emutail, Bradypterus brunneus – montane northwest, east Madagascar
• Dja River scrub warbler, Bradypterus grandis – southeast Cameroon, southwest Central African Republic and south Gabon
• Little rush warbler, Bradypterus baboecala – widespread in Africa
• White-winged swamp warbler, Bradypterus carpalis – east DR Congo, Uganda, west Kenya, Rwanda and Burundi
• Grauer's swamp warbler, Bradypterus graueri – east DR Congo, south Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi
• Highland rush warbler, Bradypterus centralis – central African highlands

Footnotes

References

• Supplemental material
• del Hoyo, Josep; Elliott, Andrew & Sargatal, Jordi (eds.) (2006): Handbook of Birds of the World (Volume 11: Old World Flycatchers to Old World Warblers). Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.

References

1. . ["Locustellidae"](https://www.aviansystematics.org/4th-edition-checklist?viewfamilies=251). *The Trust for Avian Systematics*.
2. Swainson, William. (1837). "On the Natural History and Classification of Birds". Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, Green & Longman and John Taylor.
3. (1978). "Multiple original spellings of ''Bradypterus'' Swainson, 1837". Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club.
4. (1986). "Check-list of Birds of the World". Museum of Comparative Zoology.
5. Jobling, James A.. "Bradypterus". Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
6. (2019). "Grassbirds, Donacobius, Malagasy warblers, cisticolas, allies". International Ornithologists' Union.

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