View source for Long-tailed broadbill

{{Short description|Species of bird}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Long-tailed broadbill
| image = Long-tailed Broadbill Pangolakha Wildlife Sanctuary East Sikkim Sikkim India 21.04.2016.jpg
| image_caption = From [[Pangolakha Wildlife Sanctuary]]<br/>East Sikkim (India)
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="IUCN">{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2016 |title=''Psarisomus dalhousiae'' |volume=2016 |article-number=e.T22698747A93701800 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22698747A93701800.en |access-date=11 November 2021}}</ref>
| genus = Psarisomus
| parent_authority = [[William Swainson|Swainson]], 1837
| species = dalhousiae
| authority = ([[Robert Jameson|Jameson]], 1835)
}}

The '''long-tailed broadbill''' ('''''Psarisomus dalhousiae''''') is a [[species]] of bird that is found in the [[Himalayas]], extending east through [[Northeastern India]] to [[Southeast Asia]]. It is the only bird in the [[genus]] '''''Psarisomus'''''.<ref name="IOU">{{cite web |url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/new/bow/nz_wrens/ |title=NZ wrens, Sapayoa, asities, broadbills, pittas |editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank |editor-link1= Frank Gill (ornithologist) |editor2-last=Donsker |editor2-first=David |editor3-last=Rasmussen |editor3-first=Pamela |editor-link3= Pamela Rasmussen |year=2023 |work=World Bird List Version 13.1  |publisher=International Ornithologists' Union | access-date=6 June 2023 }}</ref>  The long-tailed broadbill is about 25&nbsp;cm (10&nbsp;inches) in length and weighs between 50 and 60 [[gram]]s. It can be identified by its shrill call.

The long-tailed broadbill displays a yellow plumage on the throat. Blueish-green plumage on the belly, back, and wings.
The long-tailed broadbill is a forest bird that lives on [[insect]]s. It is very sociable and normally travels in large, noisy parties except during the mating season. It builds a pear-shaped nest in a tree. The female usually lays between 5 and 6 eggs that are incubated by both sexes; both sexes also help to feed the young.

== Taxonomy ==
The generic name Psarisomus comes from the name ''Psaris'', a synonym of ''[[Tityra]]'' and the Greek word {{lang|grc|σῶμα}} ''sōma'' "body".<ref>{{cite dictionary |first=James A. |last=Jobling |title= Psarisomus |dictionary=The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names |year=2010 |url=http://www.avesdecostarica.org/uploads/7/0/1/0/70104897/scientific-bird-names.pdf |location=London, United Kingdom |publisher=Christopher Helm |page=319 |isbn=978-1-4081-2501-4}}</ref>

The long-tailed broadbill is a songbird ([[Passerine|Passeriformes]]) that belongs in the family [[Eurylaimidae]], a group of birds that have broad heads and have flat, broad beak. It is the only bird that belongs to the genus Psarisomus. The scientific name commemorates Christina Broun, Countess of Dalhousie (1786–1839), wife of [[George Ramsay, 9th Earl of Dalhousie]].

There are currently five subspecies that are recognized:<ref name="BOTW">{{Cite web|url=https://www.hbw.com/species/long-tailed-broadbill-psarisomus-dalhousiae |title=Long-tailed Broadbill (Psarisomus dalhousiae) |last1=Bruce |first1=M.D. |year=2020 |website=Birds of the World |publisher= The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, [[Cornell University]] |access-date=14 October 2019}}</ref>

* P. d. dalhousiae  – Himalayan foothills E from N India (Uttarakhand) and Nepal, SE Bangladesh, and from N Myanmar and S China (W & S Yunnan, SW Guizhou, SW Guangxi) S to N Thailand, Laos and C Vietnam (C Annam); reported also from SE Tibet.
* P. d. cyanicauda – SE Thailand and Cambodia.
* P. d. divinus – S Vietnam (S Annam).
* P. d. psittacinus – Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra.
* P. d. borneensis 1904 – N Borneo.

== Description ==
Adult long-tailed broadbills have a bright yellow throat and face, where the yellow patch ranges on each side of the [[Occipital bone|occiput]].<ref name="BESG"/> The yellow feathers continue down to a form a thin band around the neck. There is a thin layer of pale-yellow/whitish feathers that envelops the yellow patch below their throat. Some even have a hint of pale yellow-green on their chin.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://bloggerkolkata.blogspot.com/2019/05/long-tailed-broadbill.html|title=Long-tailed Broadbill|last=Nath|first=Amitava|website=Birds Of India|access-date=2019-10-14}}</ref> They have a helmet-like black cap with a sleek blue patch on the crown and a smaller blue patch at the back of their neck.<ref name=":0" /> The feathers along the back, belly and top of the wings are bright green produced by a combination of pigmentary and structural color.<ref>{{Cite journal|doi=10.1007/s00360-014-0816-1|pmid=24647990|title=Mechanism of carotenoid coloration in the brightly colored plumages of broadbills (Eurylaimidae)|journal=Journal of Comparative Physiology B|volume=184|issue=5|pages=651–672|year=2014|last1=Prum|first1=Richard O.|last2=Lafountain|first2=Amy M.|last3=Berg|first3=Christopher J.|last4=Tauber|first4=Michael J.|last5=Frank|first5=Harry A.|s2cid=18907522}}</ref> The underparts of the wings are a lighter green or blueish green. The primary feathers are black, with a metallic blue margin at the base of the external web and a white spot on the base of the inner web.<ref name=":0" /> [[File:Long-tailed Broadbill Naina Devi Himalayan Bird Conservation Reserve Uttarakhand India 27.05.2016.jpg|thumb|left|From [[Naina Devi Himalayan Bird Conservation Reserve]], [[Uttarakhand]], [[India]].]]Long-tailed broadbill have a long blue tail, but the under-tail is black.<ref name="PenMSinBirdGuide">{{cite book |last= Jeyarajasingam |first= Allen |date= 2012 |title= A Field Guide to the Birds of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore |edition= 2nd |url= https://public.ebookcentral.proquest.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=886477 |location= New York, United States |publisher= Oxford University Press, Incorporated |page= 259 |isbn=978-0-19-963942-7}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> They have strong, broad bill that is yellowish green in color with lighter edges. They have a pea-green toes and brown legs.<ref name=":0" /> Juvenile long-tailed broadbills have a shorter tail, green head with duller plumage.<ref name="PenMSinBirdGuide" /> A full-grown adult stand about 10 inches in length (25&nbsp;cm) and weighs anywhere between 50 and 60 grams.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=https://charismaticplanet.com/long-tailed-broadbill/|title=The Long-tailed Broadbill|last=Devotor|first=Mr|date=2018-12-08|website=Charismatic Planet|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-14}}</ref>

== Habitat and distribution ==
[[File:Psarisomus dalhousiae - Kaeng Krachan.jpg|thumb|''P. d. psittacinus'']]The long-tailed broadbill is found in the Himalayas and Myanmar and discontinuously found through South-East Asia and the Malay Peninsula to Sumatra and Borneo.<ref name="PenMSinBirdGuide" /> They are distributed in a variety of countries: India, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, China, Malaysia and Indonesia.<ref name=":0" />

They are commonly found in broad-leaved evergreen forests, ranging in altitudes from 150 to 2500 meters.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thaibirding.com/news/toptenresults8.htm |title=Long-tailed Broadbill Psarisomus dalhousiae|website=thaibirding.com |access-date=2019-10-14}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> Their natural habitats include: forests, streams and creeks, tropical and subtropical moist lowland forests, tropical and subtropical moist mountain forests. They seem to have a habitat preference nears small bodies of water such as streams, freshwater and wetlands.<ref name=":0" /> They are resident, non-migratory species. The populations of long-tailed broadbills that live in the higher altitudes of the Himalayas often move down to lower altitudes during cold winter months.<ref name="BOTW" />

== Behaviour ==
Long-tailed broadbills are social birds that are usually seen foraging about in small flocks. They have also been seen in mixed-species flocks. Despite their loud high-pitched calls, they are relatively shy birds that usually hide among the foliage of trees.<ref name="BESG">{{Cite web|url=https://besgroup.org/2007/11/30/flocking-of-long-tailed-broadbill/ |title=Flocking of Long-tailed Broadbill |last1= Lim |first1= Pamela | date = 30 November 2007 |website=Bird Ecology Study Group |publisher=[[Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum]] |language=en-GB |access-date=14 October 2019}}</ref> They are especially noisy during breeding season.<ref name="PenMSinBirdGuide" />

=== Diet ===
These birds are insectivorous and are commonly found foraging forests for small insects.<ref name=":3" /> They can be seen foraging in small parties of up to 15 individuals during non-breeding seasons.<ref name="BESG" /> They feed primarily on grasshoppers, crickets, locust, beetles, aphids, dipteran flies, bugs, moths and spiders. They may occasionally feed on small frogs, berries and other fruits.<ref name="BOTW" />[[File:PsarisomusDalhousiaeGould.jpg|thumb|left|In [[John Gould]]'s ''Birds of Asia'']]

=== Breeding and nesting ===
The breeding seasons of the long-tailed broadbill may vary according to location. Populations that live in the Indian Subcontinent breed from March to April, while populations residing in/near Myanmar begin breeding from April.<ref name="BOTW" /> The female will lay between 5 and 6 eggs, which are white and oval shaped. Both sexes incubate and feed the chicks.<ref name=":3" /> It is even suggested that Long-tailed broadbills may be cooperative breeders, since more than two individuals have been observed around the nest.<ref>Tellkamp, Markus Patricio. [https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3406700641/GVRL?u=crepuq_mcgill&sid=GVRL&xid=f33f54dc "Broadbills (Eurylaimidae)."] ''Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia'', edited by Michael Hutchins, et al., 2nd ed., vol. 10: Birds III, Gale, 2004, pp. 177-186. ''Gale eBooks'',  Accessed 14 Oct. 2019. {{gale|CX3406700641}}</ref>

They build a large pear-shaped nest that is attached to the branch of a tall tree.<ref name=":3" /> The nest has a small 1-2 inch circular entrance on the side of the structure, which is usually protected by a cushion of leaves.<ref name=":0" /> The nest is composed of fine roots, dead leaves, creepers, mosses and other stringy vegetable matter.<ref name=":0" /> Once the young chicks become independent juveniles, they often disperse and settle in new locations within the habitat range.<ref name="BOTW" />

=== Vocalization ===
The long-tailed broadbill's call is a series of loud, sharp, downward-inflected whistles, "pseeu..pseeu..pseeu" and "tseeay..tseeay" sounds on a descending scale. They may also make a sharp rasping "pseeup" sound.<ref name="BOTW" />

== Conservation ==
According to the [[International Union for Conservation of Nature|ICUN]] Red list of threatened species, the long-tailed broadbill is of least concern.<ref name="IUCN"/> They are fairly common throughout their range and are found in many national parks where they are protected throughout its range.<ref name="BOTW" />

== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
* https://www.oiseaux.net/birds/long-tailed.broadbill.html - geographic range
* [https://ebird.org/species/lotbro1 ebird] - geographic range and vocalization
* https://avibase.bsc-eoc.org/species.jsp?lang=EN&avibaseid=63944E031BC7D37B&sec=audio - vocalization
* https://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Psarisomus-dalhousiae - geographic range

{{Passeriformes|P.|state=collapsed}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q282943}}

[[Category:Eurylaimidae|long-tailed broadbill]]
[[Category:Birds of Southeast Asia]]
[[Category:Birds of Bhutan]]
[[Category:Birds of Nepal]]
[[Category:Birds described in 1835|long-tailed broadbill]]