Trembler

Tremblers
Brown trembler (Cinclocerthia ruficauda)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Mimidae
Genus:	Cinclocerthia G.R. Gray, 1840
Type species
Stenorhynchus ruficauda[1] Gould, 1836
Species
Cinclocerthia gutturalis Cinclocerthia ruficauda (but see text)
Synonyms
Buleites Gistl, 1848 Stenorhynchus Gould, 1838 (non Lamarck, 1818: preoccupied)

Tremblers (Cinclocerthia) are a genus of perching birds in the family Mimidae that are endemic to the Lesser Antilles. They are medium-small, mostly brown or grey birds with long beaks and tails that typically are held cocked. Most recent authorities recognize two species in the genus, but some split each into two species, bringing it to four species:

• Grey trembler (Martinique trembler), Cinclocerthia (gutturalis) gutturalis
  • Saint Lucia trembler, Cinclocerthia (gutturalis) macrorhyncha
• Brown trembler (Southern brown trembler), Cinclocerthia (ruficauda) ruficauda
  • Northern brown trembler, Cinclocerthia (ruficauda) tremula

Among other living birds, they are apparently most closely related to the pearly-eyed thrasher.^[2]

Their common name comes from their peculiar behavior: if excited, they will show a much more exaggerated version of the wing-flicking also seen in other mimids such as the northern mockingbirds. The tremblers do not just flick their wings, but shake their entire bodies in a trembling motion.

Footnotes

References

• Barber, Brian R.; Martínez-Gómez, Juan E. & Peterson, A. Townsend (2004): Systematic position of the Socorro mockingbird Mimodes graysoni. J. Avian Biol. 35: 195–198. doi:10.1111/j.0908-8857.2004.03233.x (HTML abstract)
• Hunt, Jeffrey S.; Bermingham, Eldredge; & Ricklefs, Robert E. (2001): Molecular systematics and biogeography of Antillean thrashers, tremblers, and mockingbirds (Aves: Mimidae). Auk 118(1): 35–55. DOI:10.1642/0004-8038(2001)118[0035:MSABOA]2.0.CO;2 HTML fulltext without images