Pangani longclaw

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Pangani longclaw
Pangani Longclaw specimen RWD.jpg
Specimen at Nairobi National Museum
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Motacillidae
Genus: Macronyx
Species:
M. aurantiigula
Binomial name
Macronyx aurantiigula
Reichenow, 1891

The Pangani longclaw (Macronyx aurantiigula) is a species of bird in the family Motacillidae, which includes the pipits and wagtails. It is found in Tanzania, Kenya and Somalia. The bird's natural habitats are dry savanna and subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland.

Originally described by German ornithologist Anton Reichenow in 1891, the Pangani longclaw is a member of the longclaw genus Macronyx . The genus name is derived from the Ancient Greek words μακρός/makros "long", and ονυξ/onyx "claw" or "talons". [2] The species name is derived from the Latin words aurantium "orange", and gŭla "throat" or "gullet" [3]

Description

The Pangani longclaw measures around 20 cm (8 in) in length. [4] As its species name suggests, it has an yellow-orange throat. This is bordered with a black necklace. The upperparts are mottled various shades of brown, and the belly is yellow. In immature birds, the belly is more buff than yellow and the dark breast band less distinct. [4] The flanks are streaked black and buff. The flight is jerky. [5] The call has been described as a high-pitched siuuweeeee, with a pitch that rises, falls then rises before fading away. [5]

Its more orange throat helps distinguish it from the yellow-throated longclaw and Abyssinian longclaw, however the throats of female and older immature Pangani longclaws can be more yellow. [4] [5] The last species is also found further north in the Horn of Africa in Ethiopia. [4]

A predominantly ground-dwelling bird, the Pangani longclaw inhabits grasslands, [4] to an altitude of 1800 m (5500 ft). [5]

Related Research Articles

Motacillidae Family of birds

The wagtails, longclaws, and pipits are a family, Motacillidae, of small passerine birds with medium to long tails. The around 70 species occur in five genera. The longclaws are entirely restricted to the Afrotropics, and the wagtails are predominantly found in Europe, Africa, and Asia, with two species migrating and breeding in Alaska. The pipits have the most cosmopolitan distribution, being found across mostly in the Old World, but occurring also in the Americas and oceanic islands such as New Zealand and the Falklands. Two African species, the yellow-breasted pipit and Sharpe's longclaw, are sometimes placed in a separate seventh genus, Hemimacronyx, which is closely related to the longclaws.

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Red-cheeked cordon-bleu Species of bird

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Cape longclaw Species of bird

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Sharpes longclaw Species of bird

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Golden pipit Species of bird

The golden pipit is a distinctive pipit of dry country grassland, savanna and shrubland in eastern Africa. It is native to Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda, and has occurred as a vagrant to Oman, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Orange-winged pytilia Species of bird

The orange-winged pytilia, also known as the golden-backed pytilia, is a species of estrildid finch found in Africa. It has a wide range and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed it as being of least concern.

Grey-headed kingfisher Species of bird

The grey-headed kingfisher is a species of kingfisher that has a wide distribution from the Cape Verde Islands off the north-west coast of Africa to Mauritania, Senegal and Gambia, east to Ethiopia, Somalia and southern Arabia and south to South Africa.

Blue quail Species of bird

The blue quail or African blue quail is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is found in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Somali bee-eater Species of bird

The Somali bee-eater is a species of bird in the family Meropidae. It is found in Ethiopia, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Tanzania. This is a small bee-eater that prefers arid country and desert areas where it may be locally common. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern", postulating that clearing of woodland and forest is creating new suitable habitat for the bird and that its population trend may therefore be rising.

Black-billed wood hoopoe Species of bird

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Heuglins bustard Species of bird

Heuglin's bustard is a species of bird in the bustard family.

White-browed robin-chat Species of bird

The white-browed robin-chat, also known as Heuglin's robin, is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. Found in east, central and southern Africa, its natural habitats include riverine forest and thickets, and it is also found near humans. The IUCN classifies it as a least-concern species.

Rosy-throated longclaw Species of bird

The rosy-throated longclaw, also known as the rosy-breasted longclaw is a species of bird in the family Motacillidae. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland.

Yellow-throated longclaw Species of bird

The yellow-throated longclaw is a species of bird in the family Motacillidae. It is found in Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitats are dry savanna, subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland, and sandy shores.

Abyssinian longclaw Species of bird

The Abyssinian longclaw is a species of bird in the family Motacillidae.

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

Little rock thrush Species of bird

The little rock thrush is a passerine bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is found in Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Yemen. It is found in rocky areas with some trees, and sometimes near settlements. At 15 to 16 centimetres this is the smallest of the Muscicapidae. The male has the head, throat and upper mantle blue-grey, the underparts orange-red, except for the center blackish center tail and tips which form an inverted T shape. The female is duller and paler. It is readily mistaken for a redstart because of its habit of trembling its tail.

Black bishop Species of bird

The black bishop is a species of passerine bird in the family Ploceidae native to Africa south of the Sahara. Three subspecies are recognised.

References

  1. BirdLife International (2016). "Macronyx aurantiigula". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T22718428A94580095. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22718428A94580095.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert (1980) [1871]. A Greek-English Lexicon (abridged ed.). Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. pp.  423, 491. ISBN   0-19-910207-4.
  3. Simpson DP (1979). Cassell's Latin Dictionary (5th ed.). London: Cassell Ltd. p. 269. ISBN   0-304-52257-0.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Nigel Redman; John Fanshawe; Terry Stevenson (2009). Birds of the Horn of Africa: Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia, Socotra. A&C Black. p. 294. ISBN   978-0-7136-6541-3.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Terry Stevenson; John Fanshawe (2004). Birds of East Africa. A&C Black. p. 302. ISBN   0-7136-7347-8.