NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Bird Snake
Thelotornis kirtlandii (Hallowell, 1844)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The forest vine snake (Thelotornis kirtlandii), also known commonly as the forest twig snake or simply the twig snake, and as the bird snake (as are other members of the genus Thelotornis), is a species of venomous snake in the subfamily Colubrinae of the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to Africa.
Wikipedia contributors, Forest vine snake; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:05:18.864707+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Thelotornis kirtlandii (Hallowell, 1844)
- Name authority
- (Hallowell, 1844)
- Common name
- Bird Snake
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Colubridae
- Genus
- Thelotornis
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
- suborderSerpentes Linnaeus, 1758
- infraorderAlethinophidia Nopcsa, 1923
- familyColubridae
- subfamilyColubrinae
- genusThelotornis
- speciesThelotornis kirtlandii (Hallowell, 1844)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Thelotornis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Usambara vine snakeThelotornis usambaricus Broadley, 2001 | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Eastern Twig Or Vine SnakeThelotornis mossambicanus (Bocage, 1895) | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Savanna Vine SnakeThelotornis capensis Smith, 1849 | ColubridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Leptophis kirtlandii Hallowell, 1844 Hallowell, 1844 | synonym |
| Oxybelis lecomptei Duméril & Bibron, 1854 Duméril & Bibron, 1854 | synonym |
| Tragophis rufulus Duméril & Bibron, 1854 Duméril & Bibron, 1854 | synonym |
| Oxybelis violacea Fischer, 1856 Fischer, 1856 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Thelotornis&species=kirtlandii Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:568RR. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.