What was the initial binomial name given to the species by Carl Linnaeus?
Answer
Motacilla trochilus
When the species was first formally described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758, it was not placed in its modern genus, *Phylloscopus*. Instead, it was assigned the binomial *Motacilla trochilus*. This initial classification grouped it historically with the wagtails and pipits, reflecting the taxonomic understanding of small, active insectivorous birds at that time. It required subsequent taxonomic revisions, nearly eighty years later, for the species to be correctly moved into the genus *Phylloscopus* by Friedrich Boie.
Related Questions
Which naturalist first cataloged the species as *Motacilla trochilus* in 1758?What is the literal meaning of the genus name *Phylloscopus* derived from Ancient Greek words?What geographical region is the breeding ground for the subspecies *P. t. yakutensis*?How is the Willow Warbler's song characterized in contrast to the Chiffchaff's call?What was the initial binomial name given to the species by Carl Linnaeus?Which broader family name was the *Phylloscopidae* family historically subsumed within?What pattern describes the change in plumage color across Willow Warbler subspecies from west to east?Who introduced the genus *Phylloscopus* to which the Willow Warbler now belongs?To which vast order of birds, representing all perching birds, does *P. trochilus* belong?What is the meaning of the Ancient Greek specific epithet *trochilus*?