Trichocichla rufa ssp. rufa (Long-legged Warbler)

[sebbe67]

Long-legged Thicketbird Trichocichla rufa is currently assessed as Data Deficient. However, it has recently been observed for the first time in the field. It was known historically from four old specimens and a handful of unconfirmed sightings on Viti Levu, and one specimen in 1974 from Vanua Levu (Kinsky 1975). In surveys in 2002-2005, 12 pairs were found in Wabu Forest Reserve, three birds near Monasavu Dam, another three pairs just outside the Monasavu catchment, and two heard and one seen in Sovi Basin, all on Viti Levu. At these locations, it was locally common in suitable habitat but very patchy and absent from most forest. None was recorded at any other site, including a visit to the 1974 Vanua Levu site, but it is easily overlooked unless singing. As a ground-bird it may be suspected to be of higher risk from predation by introduced mongoose and rats on both islands, but birds were found breeding successfully in Wabu alongside these predators. The total population size may be <250 birds but there is no evidence of a decline (unpublished data from Fiji IBA project via G. Dutson in litt. 2005). This new information implies that the species warrants Endangered (D1) status, but if further surveys find it to be commoner it may need to be downlisted to Vulnerable. Comment on the population estimate and the proposed re-evaluation would be welcome.

[Deleted]

Hi !

Does someone know the differences between the two subspecies of that bird ?

[Peter]

You mean
Trichocichla rufa rufa
and
Trichocichla rufa clunei

I don't know the difference, other than where they lived! But I can take a look in the books we have where I study! Who knows, maybe they have a description.

About its rediscovery:
Several news reports (November 2003) reported that researchers from BirdLife have rediscovered the Long-legged Warbler Trichocichla rufa, a small bird from the Fijian island of Viti Levu, not seen since 1894 and previously feared extinct. The mysterious bird, found only in the mountains of Fiji, and also known as the Long-legged Thicketbird, was found one year into a survey of rare birds in the Pacific nation and photographed for the first time ever. Fijian researchers found 12 pairs in Wabu, a remote Forest Reserve on Fiji’s largest island. This small, reddish-brown bird, named after its relatively long legs for a warbler and its preference for dense undergrowth, was only known from four birds collected in 1890-1894, and a handful of reports in the 1980s-1990s, none of which was confirmed as true. Another sub-species on the island of Vanua Levu, Trichocichla rufa clunei, was discovered in 1974 when two birds were seen, but has not been found again.

[Deleted]

Hi !

I want to know that because I do not know which subspecies this may be.



But, anyway this bird is not reddish enough and it seems, according to the photographs, that the white throat is to large, maybe.

I made this picture before the bird was rediscovered.

Bye Alex

[Peter]

Researchers rediscover long-lost bird.
28-11-2003

Suva, Fiji – Researchers from BirdLife International have just rediscovered the Long-legged Warbler Trichocichla rufa, a small bird from the Fijian island of Viti Levu, not seen since 1894 and previously feared extinct. [1,2]

The mysterious bird, found only in the mountains of Fiji, and also known as the Long-legged Thicketbird, was found one year into a survey of rare birds in the Pacific nation and photographed for the first time ever. Fijian researchers found 12 pairs in Wabu, a remote Forest Reserve on Fiji’s largest island.

This small, reddish-brown bird, named after its relatively long legs for a warbler and its preference for dense undergrowth, was only known from four birds collected in 1890-1894, and a handful of reports in the 1980s-1990s, none of which was confirmed as true. Another sub-species on the island of Vanua Levu, Trichocichla rufa clunei, was discovered in 1974 when two birds were seen, but has not been found again.

Vilikesa Masibalavu, BirdLife International coordinator for the Darwin Initiative-funded project, was the first to identify the bird: "I heard a loud song which was different to any other Fijian bird," he said.[3] The team spent the next few days recording the beautiful warbling songs of this bird which was previously undescribed. The song echoing around the mountain valleys is perhaps the reason why the local people called it the Manu Kalou or Spirit Bird in the nineteenth century.

"At first incredulous, I soon realised that this was indeed the bird that we had been searching for all this time. My reactions were a mix of excitement at seeing and hearing the bird for myself, and happiness and respect for my Fijian colleagues who made the discovery." —Guy Dutson, BirdLife Project Manager in Fiji

Altogether nine pairs were found along a two-kilometre stretch of stream with dense thickets of undergrowth, indicating locally high population densities at an altitude between 800-1000m in this unlogged forest. Two of the pairs were seen with recently-fledged juveniles.

"The Long-legged Warbler is a very secretive species but now that we know its song, we can find it and make our first assessment of its conservation needs," says Guy Dutson, BirdLife Project Manager in Fiji. "They appear to need dense vegetation beside mountain streams. We are happy to conclude that they are surviving in some remote mountain forests. Although currently safe at Wabu, they remain at risk from forest clearance elsewhere, and predation by introduced mongooses."

The next time the bird was spotted it was caught in a net and shown to government and community representatives who have set aside the local area for conservation purposes and pledge to restrict logging in the forest. BirdLife will now work with the community and the Department of Forestry to help ensure the long-term protection of this forest.

"We must now work to ensure that this bird does not disappear after managing to hide from us for so long, and I hope to make sure it gets the protection that it deserves." —Guy Dutson

Most forests in Fiji are unprotected and are at risk from logging or conversion to mahogany plantations. BirdLife research has indicated that degraded forest is unsuitable for this and many other bird species. Mongooses are another threat: introduced into Fiji to kill rats, they also prey on ground birds like the Long-legged Warbler and are responsible for the local extinction of all of the ground-nesting birds on the main Fijian islands. Fortunately, however, the warblers at Wabu were successfully nesting beside a river with frequent mongoose activity.

BirdLife now proposes four actions to further assess and protect the bird:

>> ongoing survey work to better define distribution and habitat requirements;
>> threat assessment by linking distribution to probable threats, notably logging, plantations and mongooses;
>> advocacy for greater protection of Wabu Forest Reserve and also other proposed protected areas where it has been recorded, notably in the Sovi Basin;
>> a review paper and action plan written for this species at the end of the fieldwork in 1-2 years time.

The organisation is currently collecting more data to enable the bird’s status to be classified according to the World Conservation Union (IUCN) Red List criteria for species of conservation concern, where, in 1994, it was classified as Critically Endangered. [4]

"The discovery of the Long-legged Warbler, only found in the mountains of Fiji, is a rare beacon of hope when all to often birds are becoming extinct in their natural habitats, especially those endemic to small islands," comments Dutson. "We must now work to ensure that this bird does not disappear after managing to hide from us for so long, and I hope to make sure it gets the protection that it deserves."

For further information or interviews please contact: Guy Dutson at BirdLife International in Suva, Fiji: tel [phone]: 9238472 (mobile); [e-mail]
Gareth Gardiner-Jones at BirdLife International in Cambridge, UK: tel. [phone] (mobile); [e-mail]

Notes for Editors
1>> BirdLife International is a global alliance of conservation organisations working in more than 100 countries who, together, are the leading authority on the status of birds, their habitats and the issues and problems affecting bird life.
2>> Photographs of the bird are available for media use on this web page. Please credit all photographs to BirdLife International. If higher resolution images are required, or a recording of the bird’s song please contact the above.
3>> The Darwin Initiative is a small grants programme that aims to promote biodiversity conservation and sustainable use of resources in less developed countries. The Initiative is funded and administered by the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
4>> BirdLife is the Listing Authority for birds for the IUCN Red List which includes all species judged to be threatened with extinction. IUCN Red List categories are: Critically Endangered (facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild), Endangered (facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild), Vulnerable (facing a high risk of extinction in the wild), Near Threatened (close to qualifying for Vulnerable) and Least Concern (species not qualifying for the other categories, including widespread and abundant species).

Source: BirdLife International - News - Researchers rediscover long-lost bird, www.birdlife.net/news/pr/2003/11/fiji.html.

[another specialist]

December 15, 2003.
The Long-legged Warbler Trichocichla rufa, has been rediscovered in Wabu Forest Reserve on Fiji. The news release from Fiji Birdlife was somewhat confusing since it states that the bird “was believed to have been extinct for more than a century.” The subspecies T. r. cluniei was described in 1974 from the southern slopes of the Delanacau Mountains in west-central Vanua Levu. Kinsky, F. C. 1975. A new subspecies of the Long-legged Warbler Trichocichla rufa Reichenow, from Vanua Levu, Fiji. Bulletin B. O. C. 95: 98-101.

[another specialist]

www.biohabit.org/mt/archives/cat_eco.html


pic found by melanie found on other thread

extinctanimals.proboards22.com/index.cgi?board=passeriformes&action=display&thread=1115391387

[another specialist]

Red List Category & Criteria DD ver 3.1 (2001)
Year Assessed 2004
Assessor/s BirdLife International
Evaluator/s Stattersfield, A. & Butchart, S. (BirdLife International Red List Authority)
Justification Trichocichla rufa is endemic to Viti Levu and Vanua Levu on Fiji, where it is known from a very few specimens and has been considered extinct. Subspecies clunei from Vanua Levu was only discovered in 1974. Various observations from 1967, 1973 and 1991 (two birds west of Laselevu) and more recently (including one from Ovalau) remain unconfirmed. It is known from rainforest (above 800 m) where it is assumed to forage on the ground beneath dense vegetation. Predation by introduced mongoose Herpestes auropunctatus and possibly cats and black rat Rattus rattus may be threats. It is difficult to estimate numbers because its song is undescribed and few observers have looked for it. If further surveys indicate that it is truly rare with a very small population, or confirm that threats could be contributing to a continuing decline, its status should be elevated to threatened.

www.redlist.org/search/details.php?species=22111

[Melanie]

First ever nest of the Long-legged Warbler 17/08/09
The first ever nest of the Long-legged Warbler has been discovered near Monosavu by Mark Beaman of Quest Birds and Vili Masibalavu.

Mark Beaman of Quest Birds first noted the cryptic nest of Fiji's endangered Long Legged Warbler, or Manukalou on 3rd August, 2009. Mr Beaman was part of a birding group led by Vili Masibalavu,
one of Fiji's foremost ornithologists and author of "Important Bird Areas
in Fiji", to the site - a known Long-legged Warbler habitat.
Since the discovery of the nest, Vili has been keeping a close eye
on its progress, and on Satuday 8th August he showed the nest to a group
of NatureFiji-MareqetiViti bird enthusiasts.

At the time of our visit, two eggs had turned into two healthy-looking
chicks (see photo) with a mother bird heard calling nearby, but unseen. The
nest was discovered tucked into a moss-covered, cliff face surrounding a
waterfall, which could well be a preferred nesting site for this species as Vilikesa has
heard several warblers calling at similar sites. At this point in time, the
species remains little studied and poorly understood. For this reason, it
has been featured on NatureFiji-MareqetiViti's Endangered Species website.

The Viti Levu form of Long-Legged Warbler was thought to be extinct until a
confirmed sighting in 2003, the first in over 100 years, and its population
is now estimated to be over 200 birds. This is not to be confused with
what we know of the Vanua Levu form, which was first discovered in the
1970's and has not been seen since.

Seeing the long-legged warbler for the first time were seven of NatureFiji-MareqetiViti's keenest birders in
Nunia Thomas, Eleazar O'Connor, Dick Watling, Baravi Thaman, Amanda
Rogers, Jone Niukula of National Trust, and Isaac Rounds of Conservation

www.naturefiji.org/newsstory.php?id=67

[surroundx]

Jul 4, 2014 19:50:51 GMT Sebbe said:

Here is the paper in which D.T. Holyoak described his encounter with this species on Viti Levu in 1973, though some sources treats this sighting as unconfirmed.

Holyoak, D. T. 1979. Notes on the birds of Viti Levu and Taveuni, Fiji. Emu 79: 7-18

Notes are given on the status and biology of Fijian birds based on visits to Viti Levu and Taveuni during 1973. Few Fijian landbirds are endangered and most of the endemic forms are still common. The flightless rail Nesoclopeus poecilopterus and the warbler Trichocichla rufa, both of which have been feared extinct since the last century, were rediscovered on Viti Levu. The Taveuni population of Petroica multicolor is given a new subspecific name. It is suggested that recent reports of 'unknown' landbirds in Fiji may be based on misidentifications. Field notes on habitat preferences, diet, general behaviour and vocalizations are summarized for most of the species that were seen.

www.publish.csiro.au/paper/MU9790007.htm

[koeiyabe]

Here is the already posted thread of Trichocichla rufa rufa.
extinctanimals.proboards.com/thread/6642/long-legged-warbler

Here is the already posted thread of Trichocichla rufa clunei.
extinctanimals.proboards.com/thread/8736/trichocichla-rufa-ssp-clunei

Please delete this or merge into each of the old.

[koeiyabe]

www.iucnredlist.org/species/22715555/117320332

Megalurulus rufus is endemic to Viti Levu and Vanua Levu on Fiji, where it is known historically from four old specimens and a handful of unconfirmed sightings on Viti Levu, and one specimen in 1974 from Vanua Levu (Kinsky 1975). During surveys in 2002-2005 and in February 2012, the species was reported at several sites: Wabu Forest Reserve (12 territories in 2003, 16 in 2012); Sovi Basin (three pairs at Wainasa Creek in 2005, 20 territories in 2012); Monasavu (two sites each comprising c.2 pairs in 2002-2005, 25 territories in 2012); Namosi (two territories in 2012); Mt Korobaba (heard on three occasions in 2003, one territory in 2012); and Tomaniivi (no records in 2002-2005, two territories in 2012) (Dutson and Masibalavu 2004, Masibalavu and Dutson 2006, G. Dutson and V. Masibalavu in litt. 2006, V. Masibalavu in litt. 2007, 2012). At these locations, it was locally common in ideal habitat but very patchy and absent from most forest. On Vanua Levu, 22 days were spent surveying five sites in the same mountain range as the type locality of T. r. clunei, but none was recorded although its call was described by local villagers at Valovoni (Dutson and Masibalavu 2004, G. Dutson and V. Masibalavu in litt. 2006). This subspecies remains known only from the type-specimen and another individual seen at the same time. The total population is thought to be very small, although there is no evidence that the species has declined. It is easily overlooked unless singing. Territories have been reported to comprise of anything from several pairs with juveniles to lone pairs or a singing bird (Dutson and Masibalavu 2004, G. Dutson and V. Masibalavu in litt. 2006).