Fülleborn's longclaw (''Macronyx fuelleborni'') or Fuelleborn's longclaw, is a species of bird in the family Motacillidae. It is found in damp grassy habitats in south-central Africa.

Taxonomy

Two subspecies of Fülleborn's longclaw are recognised: *''Macronyx fuellebornii ascensi'' Salvadori, 1907: which is found in Angola, the central and southern parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo, in Zambia west of the valley of the

Luangwa River The Luangwa River is one of the major tributaries of the Zambezi River, and one of the four biggest rivers of Zambia. The river generally floods in the rainy season (December to March) and then falls considerably in the dry season. It is one of ...

and, rarely, in extreme northern Namibia. *''M. f. fuelleborni'' Reichenow, 1900 :restricted to south-western Tanzania.

Description

Fülleborn's longclaw is similar to the yellow-throated longclaw but it is slightly smaller, stockier and lacks the streaking on the breast. It has a yellow throat surrounded by a black band when adult and the yellow on the throat is duller in juveniles which also do not have the surrounding black band and have some indistinct streaks on the breast, but this is much less in extend than in related species.

Distribution

Fülleborn's longclaw is found in western central Africa from south western Tanzania to Angola and the extreme north of Namibia, where it is a vagrant.

Habitat and ecology

Fülleborn's longclaw is found in wet gassy areas, frequently in the vicinity of water and normally above in altitude. It is largely insectivorous and feeds on mainly on grasshoppers and

beetles Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...

as well as termites and spiders. It nests on the ground during the rainy season.

Conservation

Fülleborn's longclaw has a wide distribution and large population so

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 ...

and the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

classify it as Least Concern.

Etymology

The

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

and the

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...

of this bird commemorate the German military physician and parasitologist

Friedrich Fülleborn Friedrich Fülleborn (September 13, 1866 – September 9, 1933) was a physician who specialized in tropical medicine and parasitology. He was a native of Kulm, West Prussia, which today is known as Chełmno, Poland. He studied medicine and natura ...

(1866-1933).

References

Fülleborn's longclaw Birds of Central Africa Fülleborn's longclaw Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Passeroidea-stub