''Chamaetylas'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

of small, mainly insectivorous birds in the Old World flycatcher family

Muscicapidae The Old World flycatchers are a large family, the Muscicapidae, of small passerine birds restricted to the Old World (Europe, Africa and Asia), with the exception of several vagrants and two species, Bluethroat (''Luscinia svecica)'' and North ...

that are native to sub-Saharan Africa. The genus was introduced by the German ornithologist

Ferdinand Heine Jakob Gottlieb Ferdinand Heine (9 March 1809, in Halberstadt – 28 March 1894) was a German ornithologist and collector. Heine had one of the largest private collection of birds in the mid-19th century. The collection now housed at the Heineanum ...

in 1860. Species in the genus were previously assigned to the genus '' Alethe'' which was included in the thrush family

Turdidae The thrushes are a passerine bird family, Turdidae, with a worldwide distribution. The family was once much larger before biologists reclassified the former subfamily Saxicolinae, which includes the chats and European robins, as Old World flyca ...

. In 2010 two separate

molecular phylogenetic Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...

studies found that ''Alethe'' was

polyphyletic A polyphyletic group is an assemblage of organisms or other evolving elements that is of mixed evolutionary origin. The term is often applied to groups that share similar features known as homoplasies, which are explained as a result of conver ...

and that the members of both clades were better placed in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. The genus contains four species: *

Red-throated alethe The red-throated alethe (''Chamaetylas poliophrys'') is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is native to the Albertine Rift montane forests. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forest Montane ecosystems ...

, ''Chamaetylas poliophrys'' *

White-chested alethe The white-chested alethe (''Chamaetylas fuelleborni'') is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is found in Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zambia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. The binomial ...

, ''Chamaetylas fuelleborni'' *

Brown-chested alethe The brown-chested alethe (''Chamaetylas poliocephala'') is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It has a discontinuous range of presence across the African tropical rainforest. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lo ...

, ''Chamaetylas poliocephala'' *

Thyolo alethe The Thyolo alethe or Cholo alethe (''Chamaetylas choloensis'') is an endangered species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is found in Malawi and Mozambique. It is named after Thyolo, a nearby town in Malawi. Its natural habitat is subtropic ...

, ''Chamaetylas choloensis''

References

Bird genera {{Muscicapidae-stub