Grey-necked Rockfowl - Taxonomy

Taxonomy

This species was first described by Anton Reichenow in 1899 from a bird collected at the base of Mount Cameroon near Limbe, Cameroon. He published his description in Ornithologische Monatsberichte and described it as Picathartes oreas. The generic name was first used by René-Primevère Lesson in 1828 after he split the Grey-necked Rockfowl's close relative the White-necked Rockfowl from the crow genus Corvus and placed it in its own genus, Picathartes, as the White-necked Rockfowl did not share characteristics common to members of Corvus such as a feathered head. This generic name comes from a combination of the Latin genera pica for "magpie" and cathartes for "vulture". The species name is derived from the Ancient Greek word oreas, meaning "mountain". Since its initial description, the picathartes have been placed in more than five different families, including those of crows (Corvidae), starlings (Sturnidae), Old World flycatchers (Muscicapidae), babblers (Timaliidae) and Old World warblers (Sylviidae). Today the Grey-necked Rockfowl and the White-necked Rockfowl are believed to comprise a unique family, Picathartidae. Additionally, it has been suggested, though not generally accepted, that the two rockfowl represent the remnants of an ancient bird order. Recent DNA analysis has shown that Picathartidae and its closest relatives, southern Africa's rockjumpers and southeast Asia's Rail-babbler, form a clade. The analysis suggests that the rockfowl split from the common ancestor of their clade 44 million years ago. It is believed that the ancestor of this clade originated in Australia and spread to Africa. Though the Grey-necked Rockfowl has no subspecies, it may form a superspecies with the White-necked Rockfowl, with plumage and facial pattern being the main differences between the two species.

This species has numerous common names, including the Grey-necked Rockfowl, Grey-necked Picathartes, Bare-headed Rockfowl, Red-headed Rockfowl, Blue-headed Picathartes, and Grey-necked Bald Crow. Rockfowl is a reference to the species' habit of building mud nests on rock surfaces and caves. Picathartes refers to the species' scientific name. Bald Crow is a reference to its featherless head and somewhat crow-like appearance, especially in its beak.