The long-legged thicketbird (''Cincloramphus rufus'') is a small bird
endemic to
Fiji
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...
. The species is sometimes known as the long-legged warbler. It was formerly classified as the sole representative of the
genus ''Trichocichla''.
The long-legged thicketbird is a large thin warbler (19 cm) with a long tail and long legs. The species' plumage is reddish brown, the throat, breast and belly being white and the face being marked with a distinctive eye-stripe. The long-legged thicketbird is a shy bird and easily overlooked as it forages on the ground in pairs or small family groups. It has a distinctive alarm
call, and a variable and loud
song somewhat similar to that of the
Fiji bush warbler. The species inhabits
old-growth forest
An old-growth forestalso termed primary forest, virgin forest, late seral forest, primeval forest, or first-growth forestis a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance, and thereby exhibits unique ecological featur ...
in mountainous areas on Viti Levu, usually in habitat adjacent to streams.
The long-legged thicketbird was first collected in 1890 and four specimens were collected between then and 1894, after which the species was not seen again until 1974 (though there were a few unconfirmed sightings). In 1974 the Vanua Levu
subspecies
In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...
''Megalurulus rufus cluniei'' was discovered (although it has not been seen since). In 2003 scientists from
BirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...
working in
Wabu Forest Reserve in Viti Levu discovered a small population of ''M. rufus''. Twelve pairs, along with two recently
fledge
Fledging is the stage in a flying animal's life between hatching or birth and becoming capable of flight.
This term is most frequently applied to birds, but is also used for bats. For altricial birds, those that spend more time in vulnerable c ...
d chicks, were observed by the team.
Other populations were subsequently found to occur in various locations in old-growth
montane forest between 300 and 800 meters
AMSL
Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''.
The comb ...
. The population is assessed to be stable or at least not declining rapidly, if very small (between 50 and 249 mature birds) but protection of sufficient habitat is necessary to keep it that way. Threats include some logging and the impact of introduced predators (the
small Asian mongoose Small Asian mongoose is a common name applied to two mammals which were formerly considered to be a single species:
* Javan mongoose
*Small Indian mongoose
The small Indian mongoose (''Urva auropunctata'') is a mongoose species native to Iraq an ...
and the
black rat
The black rat (''Rattus rattus''), also known as the roof rat, ship rat, or house rat, is a common long-tailed rodent of the stereotypical rat genus ''Rattus'', in the subfamily Murinae. It likely originated in the Indian subcontinent, but is n ...
). Neither has been quantified, but they appear not to be very serious at present.
References
*Pratt, H.; Bruner, P & Berrett, D. (1987) ''The Birds of Hawaii and the Tropical Pacific'' Princeton University Press, Princeton.
{{Taxonbar, from=Q902738
long-legged thicketbird
The long-legged thicketbird (''Cincloramphus rufus'') is a small bird endemic to Fiji. The species is sometimes known as the long-legged warbler. It was formerly classified as the sole representative of the genus ''Trichocichla''.
The long-legge ...
Endemic birds of Fiji
long-legged thicketbird
The long-legged thicketbird (''Cincloramphus rufus'') is a small bird endemic to Fiji. The species is sometimes known as the long-legged warbler. It was formerly classified as the sole representative of the genus ''Trichocichla''.
The long-legge ...
Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN