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We applied an integrative taxonomic framework to evaluate the systematics of the Neotropical Black-and-white Becard (Pachyramphus albogriseusSclater 1857). Combining phylogenomic (ultraconserved elements), morphological, and vocalization data, we confirmed that this species is polyphyletic; some individuals form a clade sister to P. polychopterus and should be afforded species rank as P. salviniRichmond 1899 (Slender-billed Becard), whereas the remaining subspecies of P. albogriseus (Broad-banded Becard) are sister to P. major. We found that P. salvini differs from P. albogriseus in song, color of the lores, wing-bar width, body size, and bill width. Whereas P. albogriseus occurs in montane forest in Costa Rica and Panama (ssp. ornatus) and along the eastern slope of the Andes from northern Venezuela to southern Peru (ssp. albogriseus), P. salvini is found in the lowlands from Pacific Colombia south to northwest Peru and in the Río Marañón drainage. The latter also occurs, possibly only seasonally, along the eastern slope of the Andes, where the two species’ ranges approach closely. We treat P. a. guayaquilensisZimmer 1936 as a junior synonym of P. salviniRichmond 1899, and P. a. coronatusPhelps and Phelps 1953 as a junior synonym of P. a. albogriseusSclater 1857. This study provides a striking example of a major problem for comparative biology: underestimated and mischaracterized diversity. We argue that there are likely many more cases like this awaiting discovery.

 

Abstract Tropical mountains feature marked species turnover along elevational gradients and across complex topography, resulting in great concentrations of avian biodiversity. In these landscapes, particularly among morphologically conserved and difficult to observe avian groups, species limits still require clarification. One such lineage is Scytalopus tapaculos, which are among the morphologically most conserved birds. Attention to their distinctive vocal repertoires and phylogenetic relationships has resulted in a proliferation of newly identified species, many of which are restricted range endemics. Here, we present a revised taxonomy and identify species limits among high-elevation populations of Scytalopus tapaculos inhabiting the Peruvian Andes. We employ an integrated framework using a combination of vocal information, mitochondrial DNA sequences, and appearance, gathered from our own fieldwork over the past 40 yr and supplemented with community-shared birdsong archives and museum specimens. We describe 3 new species endemic to Peru. Within all 3 of these species there is genetic differentiation, which in 2 species is mirrored by subtle geographic plumage and vocal variation. In a fourth species, Scytalopus schulenbergi, we document deep genetic divergence and plumage differences despite overall vocal similarity. We further propose that an extralimital taxon, Scytalopus opacus androstictus, be elevated to species rank, based on a diagnostic vocal character. Our results demonstrate that basic exploration and descriptive work using diverse data sources continues to identify new species of birds, particularly in tropical environs. 

The presence of two undescribed cisticola warblers in the marshes of the Kilombero floodplain in central Tanzania has been known since the 1980s and these putative new species have been illustrated in field guides on African birds, although with no formal name. Here we name both species, based on two museum specimens collected in 1961 and recently detected in a museum collection. We use these specimens to provide formal descriptions of each form and, using DNA sequence data extracted from these specimens, we place them in a broad phylogenetic framework for the genusCisticola. The phylogenetic placement indicates that one of the new species is nested within a group of plain‐backed duetting cisticolas and the other within the streak‐backed marsh cisticolas. We use our own and public recordings to characterize the vocal repertoire of each of these new species and compare song characteristics with other members of their respective clades. Dating of nodes in the molecular phylogeny suggests that both cisticolas endemic to the Kilombero became isolated and diverged from their sister‐species between 2.5 and 3.5 million years ago, long after the formation of the Eastern Arc Mountains and the Malawi Rift. We propose that both species should be classified as globally endangered, owing to immense anthropogenic pressures on the floodplain, as documented in several publications and by a recent Ramsar Advisory Mission.