Long-billed forest warbler

The long-billed forest warbler (Artisornis moreaui), also known as the long-billed tailorbird, is a songbird of the family Cisticolidae, formerly part of the "Old World warbler" assemblage. It is found in Tanzania. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat destruction.

Long-billed forest warbler
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Cisticolidae
Genus: Artisornis
Species:
A. moreaui
Binomial name
Artisornis moreaui
(Sclater, 1931)
Synonyms
  • Apalis moreaui (Sclater, 1931)
  • Orthotomus moreaui (Sclater, 1931)

Description

The long-billed forest warbler is a small, plump, inconspicuous warbler, growing to a length of about 10 cm (4 in). The upper parts are greyish and the underparts a rather paler grey. The head sometimes has a brownish tinge, and bears filoplumes. The beak is long and slender, and the tail is long and is frequently cocked when the bird is excited. The call is a distinctive metallic "peedoo peedoo"; this bird is easier to detect by hearing its call than by sight. It is similar in appearance to the red-capped forest warbler (Artisornis metopias), but that species has a much shorter beak, a more russet head and a rust-washed breast.[1]

Distribution and habitat

This species is endemic to the East Usambara plateau in Tanzania. In the Usamabaras it is present in the Amani Nature Reserve and the Nilo Nature Reserve.[1] The East Usambara plateau is known as a biodiversity hotspot and has many endemic species.[2]

Status

A. moreaui has a small total area of occurrence which is estimated to be approximately 950 km2 (367 sq mi). It is an uncommon, and elusive species occurring at a low density, and the total number of mature birds is estimated to be thirty to two hundred. On this basis, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being "critically endangered"; however if its range turns out to be more extensive than is currently recognised, its rating is likely to be lowered to a less threatened category.[1]

In 1945 ornithologist Constantine Walter Benson identified a second population from bird skins collected by Jali Makawa in the Njesi Highlands of northern Mozambique on Benson's behalf. Benson classified the Mozambican birds as a subspecies of the long-billed forest warbler, Artisornis moreaui sousae. The Njesi Highlands and Usambara Plateau are separated by 1,000 km (621 mi) and the bird is not known to occur in the intervening area. In 2016 the Mozambican population was reclassified as a separate species, the Mozambique forest warbler (Artisornis sousae).[3]

References
  1. BirdLife International (2018). "Artisornis moreaui". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T103771879A129556131. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T103771879A129556131.en.
  2. "Usambaras, East (Derema)". Tanzania wildlife corridors. Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  3. Samuel EI Jones, Gabriel A Jamie, Emidio Sumbane & Merlijn Jocque (2020) The avifauna, conservation and biogeography of the Njesi Highlands in northern Mozambique, with a review of the country’s Afromontane birdlife, Ostrich, 91:1, 45-56, DOI: 10.2989/00306525.2019.1675795
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