General
Information is from dictionaries and other sources. Pinyin reflects Mandarin pronunciation; for some dialect names, it is no more than a polite fiction. Korean glosses are tentative. Comments and corrections welcome. Hover over Green Lettering Green lettering at this site hides a tool tip with glosses, further explanations, etc. Hover cursor to reveal. to see additional information.
The Chinese names used for the Cisticolidae reflect earlier taxonomic assignments. All three are classed as 莺 'warblers'. 莺 originally referred to the 'orioles', but has been adopted under the influence of Japanese as a name for the warblers in general.
The names are not popular names but 'ornithologists' names', coined under the influence of Western ornithology, which previously assigned them all to the 'warblers' (Sylviidae). 莺 is used for species in many families, including the Locustellidae, Phylloscopidae, Acrocephalidae, and Scotocercidae).
1. The cisticolas are known as 扇尾莺 'fan-tailed warblers'.
2. The prinias are known as 鹪莺 'wren warblers', composed of the first syllable of the word for 'wren' (鹪鹩 ) combined with 莺 . This coinage relies heavily on the Chinese writing system, which splits the word 鹪鹩 'wren' into two characters.
3. The tailorbirds as 缝叶莺 'leaf-sewing warblers'. The tailorbirds are found in the far south of China, mainly in Yunnan and Guangxi. No local names (if such exist) have found their way into mainstream Chinese.
Species names
CISTICOLINAE | ||||||||
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SCIENTIFIC & ENGLISH |
CHINESE |
EAST |
SOUTH | NORTH |
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Cisticola | ||||||||
Latin |
English |
Chinese |
Chinese (Taiwan) |
Other Ch |
Japanese |
Korean |
Vietnamese |
Mongolian |
Cisticola juncidis |
Zitting cisticola or Fantailed cisticola Rufous fantail warbler Fantail warbler |
棕扇尾莺 (棕扇尾鶯) 'reddishbrown fan-tailed warbler' |
(棕扇尾莺) 棕扇尾鶯 'reddishbrown fan-tailed warbler' Taiwan formerly: (锦鸲) 錦鴝 'brocade robin' |
セッカ (雪加 ~ 雪下) sekka 'cisticola' |
개개비사촌 gaegaebi-sachon 'reedwarbler cousin' |
Chim Chiền chiện đồng hung 'reddish field prinia (bird)' (12, 13) |
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Cisticola exilis |
Golden-headed cisticola Bright-headed cisticola Golden-headed fantail warbler Gold-capped cisticola Bright-capped cisticola Yellow-headed fantail warbler |
金头扇尾莺 (金頭扇尾鶯) 'gold-headed fan-tailed warbler' |
(黄头扇尾莺) 黄頭扇尾鶯 'yellow-headed fan-tailed warbler' Taiwan formerly: (白头锦鸲) 白頭錦鴝 'white-headed brocade robin' |
タイワンセッカ (台湾雪加 ~ 台湾雪下) taiwan sekka 'Taiwanese cisticola' |
Chim Chiền chiện đồng vàng 'yellow field prinia (bird)' (12, 13) |
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PRINIINAE | ||||||||
SCIENTIFIC & ENGLISH |
CHINESE |
EAST |
SOUTH |
NORTH |
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Prinia | ||||||||
Latin |
English |
Chinese |
Chinese (Taiwan) |
Other Ch |
Japanese |
Korean |
Vietnamese |
Mongolian |
Prinia crinigera Prinia criniger |
Striated prinia Hill prinia |
山鹪莺 (山鷦鶯) 'mountain wren-warbler' |
(斑纹鹪莺) 斑紋鷦鶯 'stripe fine-patterned wren-warbler' |
ハウチワドリ (羽団扇鳥) ha-uchiwa-dori 'feather round-fan bird' |
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Prinia polychroa |
Brown prinia Brown hill prinia David's hill warbler Brown hill warbler |
褐山鹪莺 (褐山鷦鶯) 'brown mountain wren-warbler' |
ヤマハウチワドリ (山羽団扇鳥) yama ha-uchiwa-dori 'mountain feather round-fan bird' |
Chim Chiền chiện núi 'mountain prinia (bird)' (12, 13) |
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Prinia atrogularis |
Hill prinia White-browed prinia Black-throated hill prinia |
黑喉山鹪莺 (黑喉山鷦鶯) 'black-throated mountain wren-warbler' (1, 2, 3, 4) 黑喉鹪莺 (黑喉鷦鶯) 'black-throated wren-warbler' (5) |
ノドグロハウチワドリ (喉黒羽団扇鳥) nodo-guro ha-uchiwa-dori 'black-throated feather round-fan bird' |
Chim Chiền chiện núi họng trắng 'white-throated mountain prinia (bird)' (12, 13) |
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Prinia rufescens |
Rufescent prinia Lesser brown prinia Dark-crowned hill prinia Dark-crowned wren warbler |
暗冕山鹪莺 (暗冕山鷦鶯) 'dark-crowned mountain wren-warbler' (2, 4) 暗冕鹪莺 (暗冕鷦鶯) 'dark-crowned wren-warbler' (1, 3, 5) |
チャイロハウチワドリ (茶色羽団扇鳥) cha-iro ha-uchiwa-dori 'brown feather round-fan bird' |
Chim Chiền chiện đầu nâu 'brown-headed prinia (bird)' (12, 13, 34) |
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Prinia hodgsonii |
Grey-breasted prinia Franklin's prinia Grey-breasted hill prinia Franklin's wren warbler |
灰胸山鹪莺 (灰胸山鷦鶯) 'grey-breasted mountain wren-warbler' (2, 4) 灰胸鹪莺 (灰胸鷦鶯) 'grey-breasted wren-warbler' (1, 3, 5) |
ハイイロムネハウチワドリ (灰色胸羽団扇鳥) hai-iro-mune ha-uchiwa-dori 'grey-breasted feather round-fan bird' |
Chim Chiền chiện lưng xám 'grey-backed prinia (bird)' (12, 34) |
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Latin |
English |
Chinese |
Chinese (Taiwan) |
Other Ch |
Japanese |
Korean |
Vietnamese |
Mongolian |
Prinia flaviventris |
Yellow-bellied prinia Yellow-bellied hill prinia Yellow-bellied wren warbler |
黄腹山鹪莺 (黃腹山鷦鶯) 'yellow-bellied mountain wren-warbler' (2, 4) 黄腹鹪莺 (黃腹鷦鶯) 'yellow-bellied wren-warbler' (1, 3, 5) |
(灰头鹪莺) 灰頭鷦鶯 'grey-headed wren-warbler' |
灰头鹪莺 (灰頭鷦鶯) 'grey-headed wren-warbler' (6, 7) 灰头竿鴓 (灰頭竿鴓) 'grey-headed pole warbler' (old) |
アオハウチワドリ (青羽団扇鳥) ao ha-uchiwa-dori 'blue/green feather round-fan bird' |
Chim Chiền chiện bụng vàng 'yellow-bellied prinia (bird)' (12, 13, 34) |
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Prinia inornata Prinia subflava Taxonomy |
Plain prinia Greater brown hill prinia Brown wren warbler Greater brown wren warbler |
纯色山鹪莺 (純色山鷦鶯) 'pure-coloured mountain wren-warbler' (2, 4) 褐头鹪莺 (褐頭鷦鶯) 'brown-headed wren-warbler' (1, 3, 5, 31) |
(褐头鹪莺) 褐頭鷦鶯 'brown-headed wren-warbler' |
マミハウチワドリ (眉羽団扇鳥) mami ha-uchiwa-dori 'eyebrowed feather round-fan bird' |
Chim Chiền chiện bụng hung 'reddish-bellied prinia (bird)' (12, 13, 34) |
Inner M: Хүрэн толгойт уралдай ᠬᠦᠷᠡᠩ ᠲᠣᠯᠣᠭᠠᠢᠢᠲᠣ ᠣᠷᠠᠯᠲᠠᠢ khüreŋ-tolgoit uraldai 'brown-headed wren-warbler' (31) |
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Orthotomus | ||||||||
Latin |
English |
Chinese |
Chinese (Taiwan) |
Other Ch |
Japanese |
Korean |
Vietnamese |
Mongolian |
Orthotomus sutorius |
Common tailorbird Long-tailed tailor bird |
长尾缝叶莺 (長尾縫葉鶯) 'long-tailed sew-leaf warbler' |
裁缝鸟 (裁縫鳥) 'sewing-bird' (31) |
オナガサイホウチョウ (尾長裁縫鳥) o-naga saihō-chō 'long-tailed sewing-bird' |
Chim Chích bông đuôi dài 'long-tailed plant-floss warbler (bird)' (12, 13, 34) |
Inner M: Урт сүүлт уран ногоолдой urt süült uran nogooldoi 'long-tailed skillful greenbird' (='leafwarbler') (31) |
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Orthotomus atrogularus |
Dark-necked tailorbird Black-necked tailor bird |
黑喉缝叶莺 (黑喉縫葉鶯) 'black-necked sew-leaf warbler' |
ノドグロサイホウチョウ (喉黒裁縫鳥) nodo-guro saihō-chō 'black-throated sewing-bird' |
Chim Chích bông cánh vàng 'yellow-winged plant-floss warbler (bird)' (12, 13) |
The name Гургалдай gurgaldai is traditionally applied to a range of birds famous for their song, including orioles, robins, and nightingales. For convenience, the term has here been arbitrarily glossed as 'oriole', but it should be kept in mind that the actual meaning is far broader.
セッカ sekka is used in Japanese for several small warbling birds in the Cisticolidae, Locustellidae, and Phylloscopidae. The etymology is unknown. It is written with the ateji 雪加 (literally 'snow-add') or 雪下 (literally 'snow-below'), characters assigned on the basis of sound only with little or no relation to etymology or meaning.
Уралдай uraldai is not found in ordinary dictionaries. The name is quite possibly a portmanteau of Уран шувуу uraŋ shuvuu wren and Гургалдай gurgaldai 'robin or warbler', modelled on the Chinese name 鹪莺 jiāo-yīng 'wren-warbler', which is modelled on English 'wren warbler'. The name has also been applied to the Goldcrest, possibly due to earlier taxonomic affiliations.
中国鸟类种和亚种分类名录大全(修订版) 郑作新 著 科学出版社 北京 2000年
A Complete Checklist of Species and Subspecies of the Chinese Birds (Revised Edition) by Cheng Tso-Hsin, Science Press, Beijing 2000
中国鸟类分类与分布名录 主编:郑光美 科学出版社 北京 2005年
A Checklist on the Classification and Distribution of the Birds of China Chief editor: Zheng Guangmei, Science Press, Beijing 2005
中国鸟类野外手册(中文版)约翰・马敬能、卡伦・菲利普斯,合作者:荷芬奇,翻译:卢和芬 湖南教育出版社 长沙 2000年
A Field Guide to the Birds of China (Chinese translation) by John MacKinnon, Karen Phillipps, in collaboration with He Fen-qi, translated by Lu Hefen, Hunan Jiaoyu Chubanshe (Hunan Educational Press) Changsha 2000
世界鸟类分类与分布名录 主编:郑光美 科学出版社 北京 2002年
A Checklist on the Classification and Distribution of the Birds of the World Chief editor: Zheng Guangmei, Science Press, Beijing 2002
世界鸟类名称(拉丁文、汉文、英文对照)第二版 郑作新等 科学出版社 北京 2002年
Birds of the World (Latin, Chinese and English Names) 2nd ed. by Cheng Tso-Hsin et al, Science Press, Beijing 2002
中国鸟类分布名录 第二版 郑作新 科学出版社 北京 1976年
(Checklist of the Classification of Birds of China 2nd edition by Cheng Tso-Hsin, Science Press, Beijing 1976)
香港及華南鳥類(第六版)(翻譯成中文及重新修訂) 尹璉、費嘉倫、林超英 香港性徵特區政府新聞處政府印務局 1994年
Birds of Hong Kong and South China (6th edition, translated into Chinese and newly revised) by Clive Viney, Karen Phillipps, Lin Chaoying, Hong Kong Govt. Press 1994
Danh Lục Chim Việt Nam (In lần thứ hai) (Checklist of the Birds of Vietnam) Võ Quý, Nguyễn Cử, Nhà Xuất Bản Nông Nghiệp, Hà Nội 1999
Chim Việt Nam Nguyễn Cử, Lê Trọng Trải, Karen Phillipps; Nhà Xuất Bản Lao Động - Xã Hội, 2000
汉蒙名词术语分类词典(自然科学部分) Mongolian (Cyrillic): Хятад Монгол нэр томъёоны зүйл хуваасан толь (байгалийн шинжлэх ухааны бүлэг) (Chinese-Mongolian classified terminological dictionary, natural sciences part) by 《汉蒙名词术语分类词典》编纂委员会 Mongolian (Cyrillic): "Хятад Монгол нэр томъёоны зүйл хуваасан толь" найруулах комисс (Chinese-Mongolian classified terminological dictionary editorial committee), Inner Mongolian People's Press, Hohhot 1990
Chim Việt Nam Nguyễn Cử, Lê Trọng Trải, Karen Phillipps; Nhà Xuất Bản Lao Động - Xã Hội, 2000
Danh Lục Các Loài Chim ở Việt Nam (Latinh, Việt, Pháp, Hán) Trần Văn Chánh 2008-2009