See species list The apalises are small passerine birds belonging to the genus Apalis, in the family Cisticolidae.

They are typically brown, grey or green above and several species have brightly coloured underparts.

[3][4] The name Apalis is from the Ancient Greek hapalos meaning "delicate" or "gentle".

[6] There are about 24 species of apalis; the exact number varies according to differing authorities.

[7] Further shuffling may be necessary as a recent study[8] found the genus to be polyphyletic, with two species (black-collared and Ruwenzori apalises) only distantly related to the other three tested.