NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Abyssinian Catbird
Sylvia galinieri (Guérin-Méneville, 1843)
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.
Sylvia galinieri, Lalibela, Amhara, Ethiopia, 2012-02-02 (iNaturalist).
markus lilje · CC BY 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Abyssinian catbird (Sylvia galinieri), also known as the juniper babbler, is a small passerine in the family Sylviidae, endemic to the highland forests and scrub of Ethiopia. Despite its name, it is unrelated to other birds called "catbirds." It is mostly grey, with black lores, a whitish forehead, and a chestnut vent.
Wikipedia contributors, Abyssinian catbird; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T06:58:21.493415+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Sylvia galinieri (Guérin-Méneville, 1843)
- Name authority
- (Guérin-Méneville, 1843)
- Common name
- Abyssinian Catbird
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Sylviidae
- Genus
- Sylvia
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
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
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familySylviidae Leach, 1820
- genusSylvia Scopoli, 1769
- speciesSylvia galinieri (Guérin-Méneville, 1843)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Sylvia. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Garden WarblerSylvia borin (Boddaert, 1783) | SylviidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| African Hill BabblerSylvia abyssinica (Rüppell, 1840) | SylviidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Rwenzori Hill BabblerSylvia atriceps (Sharpe, 1902) | SylviidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Eurasian BlackcapSylvia atricapilla (Linnaeus, 1758) | SylviidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Parophasma galinieri (Guérin-Méneville, 1843) (Guérin-Méneville, 1843) | synonym |
| Parisoma galinieri Guérin-Méneville, 1843 Guérin-Méneville, 1843 | 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://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=1257323 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.
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:DDBLL. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.