Pale-breasted Illadopsis (Illadopsis rufipennis) [XC53896]
by Mike Nelson from Atewa Range,A Ghana, Ghana (song)
Pale-breasted Illadopsis (Illadopsis rufipennis) [XC53897]
by Jacob C. Cooper from Atewa Range,A Ghana, Ghana (song)
Subspecies
Was formerly often placed in genus Malacocincla or in Trichastoma. Has been thought to form a superspecies with Mountain Illadopsis (Illadopsis pyrrhoptera), normally occurring at lower altitudes than latter in areas of sympatry in east of range. Subspecies distans, differing from others in song and proportions, may represent a separate species. Birds from Pugu Hills (and Kazimzumbwi Forest Reserve), in Tanzania, sometimes separated as subspecies puguensis, but considered better treated as part of distans.
The following 5 subspecies are recognised:
extrema (Bates, 1930) - Sierra Leone east to Ghana.
rufipennis (Sharpe, 1872) - Southern Nigeria east to Uganda, western and south-western Kenya and extreme north-western Tanzania, south to north-western Angola and central DRCongo.
bocagei (Salvadori, 1903) - Bioko I (Fernando Póo).
distans (Friedmann, 1928) - North-eastern Tanzania, including Zanzibar. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Grey-breasted Illadopsis (Illadopsis distans).
pugensis Grant & Mackworth-Praed, 1940 - Eastern Tanzania (Pugu Hills).
BirdLife International Species Factsheet