Hyliotidae – Hyliotas

The Hyliotidae (Hyliotas) are a single genus family of passerines from Africa. The taxonomic position of the genus has been a longstanding mystery. They have been formerly regarded as Old-World warblers in the Sylviidae family, or related to the batises and wattle-eyes in the family Platysteiridae, bush-shrikes in the family Malaconotidae, or even Old-World flycatchers in the family Muscicapidae. An analysis of the mitochondrial DNA of the genus and possible relatives found they have no close relatives and are basal in the clade Passerida. So, they are now regarded as a family in their own right.

Southern Hyliota Hylists australis – D©ubi Shapiro

All four species are glossy shades of blue-black above with lighter colours below. They are relatively short-tailed. They are found in the canopy of broad-leaf forests. They usually do not live in groups but will join mixed-species feeding flocks with other species. They move through woodland jumping and bounding between branches much more than the warblers they often are with, energetically gleaning insects as they go.

Yellow-bellied Hyliota Hyliota flavigaster – ©Dubi Shapiro

They are territorial and pairs are monogamous, nesting in camouflaged woven nests. Fledgelings often stay with their parents until the next breeding season.

There are just four members of this newly delineated family formerly considered part of the Old-World Warblers super family are all confined to Africa with three of the four wide ranging but the Usambara Hyliota is less dispersed being endemic to Tanzania.