The desert whitethroat (Sylvia minula) is a typical warbler. Until recently, it was considered conspecific with the lesser whitethroat; today these are seen as members of a superspecies. The desert whitethroat together with Hume's whitethroat form an Asian lineage in the superspecies, which have diverged into species adapted to drier lowlands and moister mountain habitats respectively. The name Small whitethroat has also been used by some authors, and desert lesser whitethroat before it was split from lesser whitethroat.