The long-legged thicketbird is a small bird endemic to Fiji. The species is sometimes known as the long-legged warbler. It was formerly classified as the sole representative of the genus Trichocichla.
Region
Fiji Islands
Typical Environment
Occurs in dense thickets and undergrowth of lowland to montane rainforest, especially along shaded stream gullies, fern beds, and vine tangles. Prefers areas with thick leaf litter and layered vegetation where it can run and forage on the ground. Often associated with relatively undisturbed forest, but can persist in secondary growth if the understory remains dense. It is highly localized and patchy in distribution.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1100 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The long-legged thicketbird, also known as the long-legged warbler, is a secretive ground-dwelling songbird endemic to Fiji. It was believed lost for many decades before being rediscovered in the early 2000s. Its unusually long tarsi help it run and hop through dense undergrowth instead of flying. Habitat loss and degradation remain its principal threats.
Temperament
secretive and skulking
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats; typically flies low and briefly
Social Behavior
Usually encountered singly or in pairs, keeping to dense cover. Nests are placed low in vegetation or near the ground, with both parents likely involved in care. Territorial during breeding, with quiet movements and reliance on cover to avoid detection.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Song consists of thin, high-pitched notes and short trills delivered from concealed perches. Calls include sharp ticks and soft churring sounds used to maintain contact in dense foliage.
Plumage
Warm brown to rufous-brown upperparts with paler buff underparts and faint dusky streaking on the breast. Feathers appear soft and plain, aiding camouflage in leaf litter and thickets. Tail relatively long and often flicked; wings short and rounded.
Diet
Primarily feeds on small invertebrates such as insects, larvae, and spiders gleaned from leaf litter and low vegetation. It probes among dead leaves and root tangles and occasionally snatches prey from low perches. Foraging is deliberate and ground-oriented, taking advantage of dense cover.
Preferred Environment
Forages on shaded forest floors, stream margins, and among tangled ferns, vines, and pandanus roots. Often remains within a few meters of cover, darting between patches of dense understory.
