The Namuli apalis (''Apalis lynesi'') is a small African

passerine A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...

bird belonging to the genus ''

Apalis The apalises are small passerine birds belonging to the genus ''Apalis'', in the family Cisticolidae. They are found in forest, woodlands and scrub across most parts of sub-Saharan Africa. They are slender birds with long tails and have a slender ...

'' in the family

Cisticolidae The family Cisticolidae is a group of about 160 warblers, small passerine birds found mainly in warmer southern regions of the Old World. They were formerly included within the Old World warbler family Sylviidae. This family probably originated ...

. It was formerly considered as a

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 ...

of the

bar-throated apalis The bar-throated apalis (''Apalis thoracica'') is a small African passerine bird belonging to the genus ''Apalis'' of the family Cisticolidae. It is native to the eastern and southern Afrotropics. Range and habitat It inhabits forest and scrub ...

. It is the only bird species

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

and is found only in the

Mount Namuli Mount Namuli is the second highest mountain in Mozambique and the highest in the Province of Zambezia. It is high and was measured, surveyed and described in 1886 by Henry Edward O'Neill, the British consul in Mozambique. The Namuli massif con ...

massif in the north of the country where it was first discovered in 1932 by the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

-born

ornithologist Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the "methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them." Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and th ...

Jack Vincent Jack Vincent (6 March 1904 – 3 July 1999) was an English ornithologist. Biography Vincent was born in London. At age 21 he moved to South Africa where he worked on two farms in the Richmond district of the Natal Province. In the 1920s he w ...

. There were no more records until an expedition rediscovered it in 1998. The bird is now known to be common in forest, forest edge and woodland patches above 1200 m.

Logging Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks or skeleton cars. Logging is the beginning of a supply chain ...

of the forest is a potential threat but it appears to survive well in degraded and fragmented habitat. It has a grey crown and nape and black throat and breast. The rest of the underparts are yellow and the upperparts are green. The outer tail-feathers are white. The bird is long. The male and female have different calls and duet with the female responding to the male's call. It feeds mainly on insects and other small invertebrates but also eats some seeds and berries. It forages in pairs or small groups, often feeding on the ground or making short flights into the air. The nest is a dome of moss built at least one metre above the ground.

References

* Callan Cohen, Claire Spottiswoode and Jonathan Rossouw (2000) ''Southern African Birdfinder'', Struik, Cape Town. * Ian Sinclair & Peter Ryan (2003) ''Birds of Africa south of the Sahara'', Struik, Cape Town. {{Taxonbar, from=Q1339428 Apalis Birds of East Africa Endemic fauna of Mozambique Birds described in 1933