Yellow longbill

Yellow longbill
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Macrosphenidae
Genus:	Macrosphenus
Species:	M. flavicans
Binomial name
Macrosphenus flavicans Cassin, 1859

The yellow longbill (Macrosphenus flavicans) is a species of Old World warbler in the family Macrosphenidae. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

Description

The yellow longbill, on average, measures 13cm from bill to tail and weighs 11-16g. It is medium in size. It has a short tail and a black long straight bill with a small hook at the tip. It has a yellow iris and greenish-yellow underparts. It is dark olive-gray at the top of its head. Its feathers transition to dark olive-green on the upperparts and upper wing and become yellow-tinged on long loose feathers on the back and rump. Sexes are alike in plumage, male being larger than female. The Yellow Longbill has a span of life of 3.6 years. The current population trend of the Yellow Longbill is stable. The number of mature individuals is unknown, as is the continuing decline of mature individuals.

Taxonomy

The yellow longbill, on average, measures 13cm from bill to tail and weighs 11-16g. It is medium in size. It has a short tail and a black long straight bill with a small hook at the tip. It has a yellow iris and greenish-yellow underparts. It is dark olive-gray at the top of its head. Its feathers transition to dark olive-green on the upperparts and upper wing and become yellow-tinged on long loose feathers on the back and rump. Sexes are alike in plumage, male being larger than female. The Yellow Longbill has a span of life of 3.6 years. The current population trend of the Yellow Longbill is stable. The number of mature individuals is unknown, as is the continuing decline of mature individuals.

Distribution and Habitat

The yellow longbill’s habitat is in the Forest, more specifically the Subtropical and Tropical Moist Lowland. Habitat lowlands are of the lower and middle levels, including the primary and secondary forest. These forest habitat lowlands involve edges, clearings and logged areas. Lowlands range to levels of 1000-1400m in Uganda and to 1800m in the East Democratic Republic Congo. The geographic range for the Yellow Longbill includes, Angola; Cameroon; Central African Republic; congo; The Democratic Republic of the; Equatorial Guinea; Gabon; Nigeria; South Sudan; Sudan; Tanzania, United Republic of; Uganda. Specific distributions for subspecies have been identified. The Macrosphenus flavicans flavicans subspecies is distributed throughout extreme Southeast Nigeria, Bioko, and Southwest and south Cameroon south to lower R Congo and Northwest Angola. The Macrosphenus flavicans hypochondriacus subspecies is distributed throughout Southeast Central African Republic, Southwest South Sudan (Bengangai Forest), North, Central, and East DRCongo, West and South Uganda and Northwest Tanzania (Minziro Forest).

Diet

The diet of a Yellow Longbird consists of spiders and insects, such as moths, caterpillars, and beetles. Their diet also includes some fruit, making them omnivorous. Yellow Longbirds forage in pairs or in family groups. Forage groups are sometimes mixed in species. They forage among thick undergrowth and tangled insects. They also forage in lower canopy areas, especially during dry season.

Conservation

The conservation status of the yellow longbill is classified as of least concern. This classification was assessed on October 1, 2016. They are not globally threatened. They are common in many areas of range. Two discrete populations of the yellow longbill exist in forests of West and Central Africa. There are few conservation actions in place for the yellow longbill. There are no in-place research and monitoring actions. There are land and water identified conservation sites in place. There are no species management or education conservation actions in place.