| Long-billed bernieria | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Bernieridae |
| Genus: | Bernieria Pucheran, 1855 |
| Species: | B. madagascariensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Bernieria madagascariensis (Gmelin, JF, 1789) | |
| Synonyms | |
Phyllastrephus madagascariensis | |
Thelong-billed bernieria (Bernieria madagascariensis), formerly known aslong-billed greenbul and sometimes ascommon tetraka orlong-billed tetraka, is asongbirdspeciesendemic toMadagascar. It is the only species placed in the genusBernieria. Its naturalhabitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowlandforests.
In 1760 the French zoologistMathurin Jacques Brisson included a description and an illustration of the long-billed bernieria in the third volume of hisOrnithologie based on a specimen collected on the island ofMadagascar. He used the French nameLe grand figuier de Madagascar and the Latin nameFicedula Madagascariensis Major.[2] Although Brisson coined Latin names, these do not conform to thebinomial system and are not recognised by theInternational Commission on Zoological Nomenclature.[3] When in 1789 the German naturalistJohann Friedrich Gmelin revised and expandedCarl Linnaeus'sSystema Naturae he included the long-billed bernieria based on Brisson's description. He placed it with the flycatchers in thegenusMuscicapa and coined thebinomial nameMuscicapa madagascariensis.[4] The long-billed bernieria is now the only species placed in the genusBernieria that was erected in 1855 by the French zoologistJacques Pucheran.[5][6] The genus name honours the French surgeon-naturalist Chevalier J. A. Bernier who resided in Madagascar from 1831 to 1834.[7]
Two subspecies are recognised.[6]
It was initially considered agreenbul, and later with theOld World warblers. Recent research indicates it is part of the endemic Malagasy radiationBernieridae (Malagasy warblers). Its presumed relatives are not as closely related as was once believed and have been restored to the old genusXanthomixis.[8]
The long-billed bernieria is a slender species with an overall length of 17.5–20 cm (6.9–7.9 in). The top of the head, the upperparts and the tail are brownish green, the underparts are mainly yellow. The bill is long and thin; the upper mandible has a small terminal hook.[9]
