Subdesert Brush Warbler by Francesco Veronesi, CC BY-SA 2.0
First Described By: Oberholser, 1899
Classification: Dinosauromorpha, Dinosauriformes, Dracohors, Dinosauria, Saurischia, Eusaurischia, Theropoda, Neotheropoda, Averostra, Tetanurae, Orionides, Avetheropoda, Coelurosauria, Tyrannoraptora, Maniraptoromorpha, Maniraptoriformes, Maniraptora, Pennaraptora, Paraves, Eumaniraptora, Averaptora, Avialae, Euavialae, Avebrevicauda, Pygostaylia, Ornithothoraces, Euornithes, Ornithuromorpha, Ornithurae, Neornithes, Neognathae, Neoaves, Inopinaves, Telluraves, Australaves, Eufalconimorphae, Psittacopasserae, Passeriformes, Eupasseres, Passeri, Euoscines, Passerides, Core Passerides, Sylviida, Sylvioidea, Acrocephalidae
Referred Species: N. brevicaudata (Grand Comoro Brush Warbler), N. lantzii (Subdesert Brush Warbler), N. longicaudata (Anjouan Brush Warbler), N. mariae (Moheli Brush Warbler), N. typica (Madagascar Brush Warbler), N. aldabrana (Aldabra Brush Warbler)
Status: Extinct - Extant, Least Concern
Time and Place: Within the last 10,000 years; in the Holocene epoch of the Quaternary period
Nesillas is known from Madagascar and the nearby islands
Physical Description: Nesillas, a group of Brush-Warblers, are small, round passerines from a variety of habitats in Madagascar and the neighboring islands. They range from 15 to 20 centimeters, making them a little bit smaller than the American Robin in terms of size. These birds are brown in color, with the specific shade of brown varying based on species; they all tend to have black stripes across their eyes. They have small, pointed beaks and fairly short tail feathers. They also tend to be darker brown on their backs, wings, and tails; and are lighter brown or even white on their chests and bellies.
Madagascar Brush Warbler by Brian Ralphs, CC BY 2.0
Diet: These birds feed mainly on small invertebrates, such as spiders, beetles, moths, caterpillars, ants, bugs, flies, grasshoppers, and sometimes seeds. Nesillas forages mainly within the cover and understory of the forest, usually by digging through leaves. They can forage alone or in pairs.
Behavior: These birds make a variety of clackity calls, as well as rattling calls and - as the name suggests - warbles. They also often make sharp notes and whistles, depending on the species. They are usually silent while foraging, and are mostly very shy in terms of general behavior, hiding in the dense undergrowth where they feed. They usually breed starting in August and continuing through January, with the bulk of breeding and nesting occurring in September and October - though this varies based on species. They usually lay between two and three eggs, either high up in the trees or more close to the ground (with the desert dwelling species nesting exclusively on the ground). There is little information available at this time on whether or not they form monogamous pairs, though it doesn’t seem likely. These birds do not migrate.
Ecosystem: Most species in this genus live in evergreen forests, usually at lower elevations; they also can be found in undergrowth and human created habitats. They prefer denser vegetation and forest levels. The Subdesert Brush-Warbler lives in scrubland and along the edges of forests near desert habitats, rather than in denser forests.
Madagascar Brush Warbler by Heinon Lein, CC BY-SA 4.0
Other: The Madagascar Brush-Warbler and the Anjouan Brush Warbler may actually be the same species; debate is ongoing as to whether or not they are sub-species of the same species, or two different species in the genus.
While most of the species are not threatened with extinction, the Aldabra Brush Warbler went extinct within the 20th century. This is due to its small range (it was only known from one atoll, rather than a small island or Madagascar) and due to introduced mammalian predators, such as rats and cats; habitat destruction probably also played a role in its extinction.
The Madagascar Brush-Warbler is usually dark brown and olive, with yellowish belly feathers and dark brown cheeks. The Anjouan Brush-Warbler, on the other hand, is more of a yellowish, light brown, and doesn’t have much differentiation between the belly feathers and the back feathers. The Moheli Brush-Warbler is more green along its back, with yellow-orange belly feathers and green stripes along its chest. The Grand Comoro Brush-Warbler has even more extensive striping, with long black stripes going across its neck and lighter brown stripes along the belly, and even some slight striping along the dark brown back. The Subdesert Brush-Warbler is lighter in color than the other species, given that it lives in the desert; it is taupe on its belly, with some darker brown striping on th eneck, and has a slightly darker back. The Aldabra Brush-Warbler had the most distinctive stripe across its eye, with a contrasting white stripe above the black eye stripe; it also was dark brown on its back, and white on its belly.
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