São Tomé shorttail

São Tomé shorttail
A São Tomé Shorttail
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	incertae sedis
Genus:	Amaurocichla Sharpe, 1892
Species:	A. bocagei
Binomial name
Amaurocichla bocagei Sharpe, 1892
Synonyms
Amaurocichla bocagii Sharpe, 1892 [orth. error]

The São Tomé shorttail (Amaurocichla bocagei), also known as Bocage's longbill, is a species of passerine bird in the superfamily Passeroidea. It is the only member of the genus Amaurocichla. Formerly placed in the family Sylviidae, appears to be close to the Motacillidae, though its relationships currently are unclear. It is endemic to the southern and western parts of the island of São Tomé. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. This species has a small population and is threatened by habitat loss.

References

• BirdLife International (2008). "Amaurocichla bocagei". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2008. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 12 November 2009. 
• Eccles, S. D. (1988). "The birds of São Tomé — record of a visit, April 1987 with notes on the rediscovery of Bocage's Longbill" (PDF). Malimbus. 10 (2): 207–217. 
• Johansson, U. S.; Fjeldså, J.; Bowie, R. C. K. (2008). "Phylogenetic relationships within Passerida (Aves: Passeriformes): A review and a new molecular phylogeny based on three nuclear intron markers". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 48 (3): 858–876. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2008.05.029. PMID 18619860. 
• Kingdon, Jonathan (1989). Island Africa: The Evolution of Africa's Rare Plants and Animals. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. pp. 37–38. ISBN 0-691-08560-9.