African desert warbler [SEP] parent taxon
African desert warbler
The African desert warbler ("Sylvia deserti") is a typical warbler.
Taxonomy.
Until recently it was considered conspecific with the Asian desert warbler (and called just "desert warbler"), but is now given specific status. The two are still each other's closest living relatives, and their relationships to other typical warblers are not clear; they may be fairly close to the whitethroat. But it seems that all these three taxa are fairly basal members of the genus.
Distribution
, the committee reviewed all the 121 accepted records, and concluded that 51 were western and two were eastern; for the remainder, not enough evidence was available to make a firm decision. The committee had previously stated that it would regard as western Bonelli's warbler all except proven eastern Bonelli's warblers, however, this announcement rescinded that decision. In 2003–04, all desert warbler records were reviewed, and it was concluded that all were referable to the newly split Asian desert warbler, rather than African desert warbler.
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