Alpine accentor

The Alpine accentor was described by the Austrian naturalist Giovanni Antonio Scopoli in 1769. He coined the binomial name Sturnus collaris and specified the type locality as the Carinthia region of southern Austria.{{ cite book | last=Scopoli | first=Giovanni Antonio | author-link=Giovanni Antonio Scopoli | year=1769 | title=Annus I Historico-Naturalis | language=la | place=Lipsiae (Leipzig) | publisher= C.G. Hilscheri | page=131 | url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/31117758 }} The specific epithet is from the Latin collaris "of the neck".{{cite web | last=Jobling | first=J.A. | year=2019 | title= Key to Scientific Names in Ornithology | editor1-last=del Hoyo | editor1-first=J. | editor2-last=Elliott | editor2-first=A. | editor3-last=Sargatal | editor3-first=J. | editor4-last=Christie | editor4-first=D.A. | editor5-last=de Juana | editor5-first=E. | work=Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive | publisher=Lynx Edicions | url=https://www.hbw.com/dictionary/definition/collaris | access-date=11 March 2019 }} This species is now placed in the genus Prunella that was introduced by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot in 1816.{{cite book | last=Vieillot | first=Louis Pierre | author-link=Louis Pierre Vieillot | year=1816 | title=Analyse d'une Nouvelle Ornithologie Élémentaire | publisher=Deterville/self | location=Paris | page = 43 | language=fr| url=https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k9745205x/f49.image }} The Alpine accentor, along with the Altai accentor is sometimes separated from the other accentors, into the genus Laiscopus.HBW volume 10, page 496{{Full citation needed|date=June 2025}}

The word "accentor" is from post-classical Latin and means a person who sings with another.{{ OED |Accentor}} The genus name Prunella is from the German Braunelle, "dunnock", a diminutive of braun, "brown".{{cite book | last= Jobling | first= James A. | year= 2010| title= The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names | url= https://archive.org/details/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling | publisher=Christopher Helm | location = London, United Kingdom | isbn = 978-1-4081-2501-4 | page =[https://archive.org/details/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling/page/n318 318]}}

Nine subspecies are recognised:{{cite web| editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | year=2019 | title=Waxbills, parrotfinches, munias, whydahs, Olive Warbler, accentors, pipits | work=World Bird List Version 9.1 | url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/waxbills/ | publisher=International Ornithologists' Union | access-date=11 March 2019 }}

• P. c. collaris (Scopoli, 1769) — southwest Europe to Slovenia and the Carpathians, northwest Africa
• P. c. subalpina (Brehm, CL, 1831) — Croatia to Bulgaria and Greece, Crete and southwest Turkey
• P. c. montana (Hablizl, 1783) — north and east Turkey to the Caucasus and Iran
• P. c. rufilata (Severtzov, 1879) — northeast Afghanistan and north Pakistan through the mountains of central Asia to west China
• P. c. whymperi (Baker, ECS, 1915) — west Himalayas
• P. c. nipalensis (Blyth, 1843) — central and east Himalayas to southcentral China and north Myanmar
• P. c. tibetana (Bianchi, 1905) — east Tibet
• P. c. erythropygia (R. Swinhoe, 1870) — east Kazakhstan and southcentral Siberia to northeast Siberia, Japan, Korea and northeast China
• P. c. fennelli Deignan, 1964 — Taiwan

File:Alpine Accentor Pangolakha Wildlife Sanctuary East Sikkim India 19.04.2016.jpg in East Sikkim, India]]

This is a robin-sized bird at {{Convert|15–17.5|cm|in|abbr=on}} in length, slightly larger than its relative, the dunnock. It has a streaked brown back, somewhat resembling a house sparrow, but adults have a grey head and red-brown spotting on the underparts. It has an insectivore's fine pointed bill.{{Cite web |title=Alpine Accentor {{!}} Prunella collaris |url=https://app.birda.org/species-guide/33241/Alpine_Accentor |access-date=2025-01-13 |website=Birda: Birdwatching Community}}

Sexes are similar, although the male may be contrasted in appearance. Young birds have browner heads and underparts.

Image:Prunella collaris dist.png

It is found throughout the mountains of southern temperate Europe, Lebanon{{cite web |url=http://www.lebanonhunt.com/ |title=Home |website=lebanonhunt.com}} and Asia at heights above {{Convert|2000|m|ft|abbr=on}}.[https://fareastru.birds.watch/index.php?l=en Fareast Russian Birds] It is mainly resident, wintering more widely at lower latitudes, but some birds wander as rare vagrants as far as Great Britain.

It is a bird of bare mountain areas with some low vegetation.

It builds a neat nest low in a bush or rock crevice, laying 3–5 unspotted sky-blue eggs.

The mating system is of particular interest. Home ranges are occupied by breeding groups of three or four males with three or four females. These are unrelated birds which have a socially polygynandrous mating system. Males have a dominance hierarchy, with the alpha males being generally older than subordinates. Females seek matings with all the males, although the alpha male may defend her against matings from lower ranking males. In turn, males seek matings with all the females. DNA fingerprinting has been used to show that, within broods, there is often mixed paternity, although the female is always the true mother of the nestlings raised within her nest. Males will provide food to chicks at several nests within the group, depending on whether they have mated with the female or not – males only provide care when they are likely to be the true fathers of the chicks.

File:Prunella collaris collaris MHNT.ZOO.2010.11.185.16.jpg (MHNT)]]

{{Reflist}}

• {{Cite book |editor1-last=Cramp |editor1-first=Stanley |display-editors=etal |editor1-link=Stanley Cramp |year=1988 |chapter=Prunella collaris Alpine Accentor |title=Handbook of the Birds of Europe the Middle East and North Africa: The Birds of the Western Palearctic |volume=V: Tyrant Flycatchers to Thrushes |location=Oxford |publisher=Oxford University Press |pages=574–585 |isbn=978-0-19-857508-5 }}
• {{Cite journal |last1=Davies |first1=N.B. |last2=Hartley |first2=I.R. |last3=Hatchwell |first3=B.J. |last4=Desrochers |first4=A. |last5=Skeer |first5=J. |last6=Nebel |first6=D. |year=1995 |title=The Polygynandrous Mating System of the Alpine Accentor Prunella collaris. I. Ecological Causes and Reproductive Conflicts |journal=Animal Behaviour |volume=49 |issue=3 |pages=769–788 |doi=10.1016/0003-3472(95)80209-6|s2cid=53146123 }}
• {{Cite journal |last1=Davies |first1=N.B. |last2=Hartley |first2=I.R. |last3=Hatchwell |first3=B.J. |last4=Langmore |first4=N.E. |year=1996 |title=Female Control of Copulations to Maximise Male Help: a Comparison of Polygynandrous Alpine Accentors Prunella collaris and Dunnocks Prunella modularis |journal=Animal Behaviour |volume=51 |issue=1 |pages=27–47 |doi=10.1006/anbe.1996.0003 |s2cid=59505497 |url=http://www.avibirds.com/pdf/H/Heggemus1.pdf}}
• {{Cite journal |last1=Hartley |first1=I.R. |last2=Davies |first2=N.B. |last3=Hatchwell |first3=B.J. |last4=Desrochers |first4=A. |last5=Nebel |first5=D. |last6=Burke |first6=T. |year=1995 |title=The Polygynandrous Mating System of the Alpine Accentor Prunella collaris. II. Multiple Paternity and Parental Effort |journal=Animal Behaviour |volume=49 |issue=3 |pages=789–803 |doi=10.1016/0003-3472(95)80210-X|s2cid=53259972 }}

• [http://ibc.lynxeds.com/species/alpine-accentor-prunella-collaris Alpine accentor videos, photos & sounds] on the Internet Bird Collection
• [https://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Prunella-collaris Xeno-canto: audio recordings of the Alpine accentor]

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Category:Birds of Asia

Category:Birds of Europe

Category:Prunellidae