Basileuterus

Basileuterus is a genus of New World warblers, best represented in Central and South America. This is one of only two warbler genera that are well represented in the latter continent. Some species formerly considered in this genus are now placed in the genus Myiothlypis. It is likely that the ancestors of this genus colonised South America from the family's heartland in northern Central America even before the two continents were linked, and subsequent speciation provided most of the resident warbler species of that region.

Basileuterus
Golden-crowned warbler (Basileuterus culicivorus)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Parulidae
Genus:	Basileuterus Cabanis, 1849
Type species
Basileuterus vermivorus Cabanis, 1849
Species
Many, see text

These are mainly robust warblers with a stout bill. The majority of species have olive or grey upperparts and yellow underparts. The head is often strikingly marked with a long broad supercilium, a coloured crown or crown stripes, and often other striking head markings.

Many species are not well-studied, but those for which the breeding habits are known all build a domed nest on a bank or on the ground, so this is presumably typical of the genus as a whole.

Taxonomy

Formerly, the two members of the genus Phaeothlypis were sometimes included in Basileuterus.

Species

Genus Basileuterus – Cabanis, 1849 – twelve species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Golden-crowned warbler	Basileuterus culicivorus (Deppe, 1830) Two subspecies Basileuterus culicivorus culicivorus White-bellied warbler, Basileuterus culicivorus hypoleucus	Mexico and south through Central America to northeastern Argentina and Uruguay, and on Trinidad	Size: Habitat: Diet:	LC
Three-banded warbler	Basileuterus trifasciatus Taczanowski, 1880	Ecuador and Peru	Size: Habitat: Diet:	LC
Rufous-capped warbler	Basileuterus rufifrons (Swainson, 1838)	Mexico south to Guatemala, rarely occurring as far north as southeastern Arizona and south Texas.	Size: Habitat: Diet:	LC
Chestnut-capped warbler	Basileuterus delattrii Bonaparte, 1854	Guatemala to Venezuela.	Size: Habitat: Diet:	LC
Golden-browed warbler	Basileuterus belli (Giraud, 1841)	El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico.	Size: Habitat: Diet:	LC
Black-cheeked warbler	Basileuterus melanogenys Baird, 1865 Three subspecies B. m. melanogenys B. m. eximius B. m. bensoni	Costa Rica and western Panama.	Size: Habitat: Diet:	LC
Pirre warbler	Basileuterus ignotus Nelson, 1912	Panama and Colombia (Serranía del Darién and Serranía del Baudó)	Size: Habitat: Diet:	VU
Three-striped warbler	Basileuterus tristriatus (Tschudi, 1844)	Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.	Size: Habitat: Diet:	LC
Yungas warbler	Basileuterus punctipectus (Chapman, 1924)	southeastern Peru to southcentral Bolivia.	Size: Habitat: Diet:	LC
Black-eared warbler	Basileuterus melanotis (Lawrence, 1868)	Costa Rica to western Panama	Size: Habitat: Diet:	LC
Tacarcuna warbler	Basileuterus tacarcunae Chapman, 1924	eastern Panama to northwestern Colombia	Size: Habitat: Diet:	LC
Fan-tailed warbler	Basileuterus lachrymosus Bonaparte, 1850	Texas, Arizona, Mexico to Nicaragua.	Size: Habitat: Diet:	LC

References

• Curson, Quinn and Beadle, New World Warblers ISBN 0-7136-3932-6
• Stiles and Skutch, A Guide to the Birds of Costa Rica ISBN 0-8014-9600-4

External links

• Basileuterus videos, photos and sounds on the Internet Bird Collection