{{Short description|Species of bird}} {{speciesbox | name = Abyssinian longclaw | image =Abyssinian Longclaw - Ethiopia 2 (17000135681).jpg | image_caption = | status = NT | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name="iucn status">{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2025 |title=''Macronyx flavicollis'' |article-number=e.T22718419A268551490 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2025-2.RLTS.T22718419A268551490.en}}</ref> | genus = Macronyx | species = flavicollis | authority = Rüppell, 1840 | synonyms = }}
The '''Abyssinian longclaw''' ('''''Macronyx flavicollis''''') is a species of bird in the family Motacillidae. It is endemic to Ethiopia.
== Characteristics == Abyssinian longclaws are typically brown to black colored on their back, and there are white marks on the tail that are only visible during flight. On the neck and the supercilium (a stripe of plumage on the head) it is saffron colored.<ref name="Redman">{{Cite book|title=Birds of the Horn of Africa {{!}} Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia and Socotra|first1=Nigel|last1=Redman|first2=Terry|last2=Stevenson|first3=John|last3=Fanshawe|isbn=9780713665413|page=294|publisher=A & C Black|date=11 May 2009}}</ref> Around the base of the neck there is a black band described as a "necklace".<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Spencer |first=Andrew |title=Abyssinian longclaw {{!}} Macronyx flavicollis |url=https://ebird.org/species/abylon1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260301070445/https://ebird.org/species/abylon1 |archive-date=1 March 2026 |access-date=4 April 2026 |website=eBird |publisher=Cornell University}}</ref> Sometimes the necklace can present as a narrow collection of spots around the neck as well.<ref name="Redman" /> The rest of the body varies in color but usually has black stripes.<ref name="Redman" /> The normal length for the Abyssinian longclaw is around {{Convert|20|cm|in|abbr=on}}.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last= |title=Sentinelle d'Abyssinie - Macronyx flavicollis - Abyssinian Longclaw |url=https://www.oiseaux.net/birds/abyssinian.longclaw.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220219120815/https://www.oiseaux.net/birds/abyssinian.longclaw.html |archive-date=19 February 2022 |access-date=4 April 2026 |website=Oiseaux |language=en}}</ref>
=== Reproduction === The Abyssinian longclaw typically breeds between the months of June and August. When laying eggs, they tend to return to a nest they have built and lay between two to four eggs at a time.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Abyssinian Longclaw Macronyx Flavicollis Species Factsheet |url=https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/abyssinian-longclaw-macronyx-flavicollis |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250406050313/https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/abyssinian-longclaw-macronyx-flavicollis |archive-date=6 April 2025 |access-date=4 April 2026 |website=BirdLife DataZone |language=en}}</ref>
==Habitat== The bird's natural habitat is in the wet grasslands of Ethiopia.<ref name=":0" /> It lives in subtropical to tropical areas of high altitudes.<ref name=":1" />
The Abyssinian longclaw is very similar in both appearance and behavior to the yellow-throated longclaw (''Macronyx croceus'') of other parts of Africa. It is a common grassland bird of the western and south eastern Ethiopian Highlands, except in the extreme north where it does not occur.
==Conservation== The IUCN Red List categorizes the Abyssinian longclaw as "Near Threatened".<ref name=":2" /> The area that the bird tends to live in is {{Convert|453,000|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} large, and its frequency was described during a 1995 survey as "widespread" but "uncommon".<ref name=":2" /> The area of the Bale Mountains which Abyssinian longclaws live in has been undergoing habitat loss and degradation of the environment, which has led to the suspicion that the population of the birds is decreasing accordingly. Studies on the population trend are limited and there has been no direct count of the quantity of individuals.<ref name=":2" />
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q384846}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:longclaw, Abyssinian}} Abyssinian longclaw Abyssinian longclaw Category:Ethiopian Highlands endemic bird fauna Abyssinian longclaw Category:Taxonomy articles created by Polbot