Long-billed bush warbler facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Long-billed bush warbler
Long-billed bush warbler singing in Gilgit, Pakistan
Conservation status
Near Threatened (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Locustellidae
Genus:	Locustella
Species:	L. major
Binomial name
Locustella major (Brooks, 1871)
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Synonyms
Bradypterus major Dumeticola major Tribura major

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The long-billed bush warbler (Locustella major) is a small, rare bird that belongs to the Old World warbler family. It is found in parts of China, India, Pakistan, and Tajikistan. People sometimes call it the long-billed grasshopper warbler because its song sounds a bit like a grasshopper.

About the Long-billed Bush Warbler

How the Bird Got Its Name

The long-billed bush warbler was first described by an Irish bird expert named William Edwin Brooks in 1871. He found it in Kashmir. He named it Dumeticola major. Dumeticola means "living in thickets," which are dense bushes. He added major because it was larger than another similar bird.

Later, this bird was moved into the group (genus) called Locustella. Birds in this group are known for their calls, which sound a bit like a locust or grasshopper.

Types of Long-billed Bush Warblers

There are two main types, or subspecies, of the long-billed bush warbler:

• L. m. major - This type lives in the Himalayas, from Tajikistan through Pakistan and into Kashmir.
• L. m. innae - This type is found in the Kunlun Mountains in Xinjiang, China.

What Does the Warbler Look Like?

Illustration by J. G. Keulemans (1891)

The long-billed bush warbler is a small brown bird. It has pink legs and a fairly long, black beak. Its eyes are brown. Its body is mostly brown, but its chest, throat, and the stripe above its eye (called a supercilium) are pale.

Its song is a repeated clicking sound. It sounds a bit like a grasshopper, but it's not as buzzy.

Where Do They Live?

The long-billed bush warbler lives in two separate areas. One group (L. m. major) is found in Tajikistan, Pakistan, Ladakh, and Kashmir. The other group (L. m. innae) lives in the Kunlun Mountains in central Xinjiang, China. There have been some unconfirmed sightings in Uzbekistan.

Why Is This Bird Rare?

The long-billed bush warbler is a very rare bird. This is partly because it lives in remote places and tends to hide. In the past, some people thought these birds were common. However, since the mid-1900s, there have been long gaps between sightings. Places where they used to be common now have none.

The bird seems to be easier to find in Pakistan. Sadly, the L. m. innae subspecies has not been seen since 1874. Even a long search in 2003 failed to find any.

The IUCN Red List says this bird is "Near Threatened." This means it could become endangered soon. The main problems for the warbler are losing its home and changes in farming. For example, too much grazing by animals, especially in Kashmir, has destroyed the tall grass and thick bushes where these warblers like to live.