From Opus

Photo by suleesia
Penang, Malaysia, July 2005

Ploceus philippinus

[edit] Identification

15 cm

• Short square tail
  

Breeding males

• Bright yellow crown
• Dark brown mask
• Blackish brown bill
• Upper parts dark brown streaked with yellow
• Yellow breast
• Creamy-buff underparts

Non breeding

• Upperparts dark brown streaked fulvous buff
• Plain whitish fulvous underparts
• Long buffy eyebrows
• Lacks mask
• Stout horn-coloured conical bill

Photo by Dr Manjeet Singh
Pondamaran-jaya, Port Klang, Selangor, Malaysia, May 2008

[edit] Distribution

India and south Asia.

[edit] Taxonomy

[edit] Subspecies

There are 5 subspecies^[1]:

• P. p. philippinus:

• Lowlands of south-eastern Pakistan to western India and Sri Lanka

• P. p. travencoreensis:

• South-western India (Goa to Travancore and Kerala)

• P. p. burmanicus:

• North-eastern India (Bengal) to Bangladesh, Assam and Myanmar

Sub-adult male
Photo by SeeToh
Lorong Halus, Singapore, July 2012

• P. p. infortunatus:

• Malay Peninsula to southern Vietnam, Sumatra and Nias Island

• P. p. angelorum:

• Plains of central Thailand

[edit] Habitat

Mangroves, reeds, grassland, cultivated areas, scrub and secondary growths usually near fresh or brackish water.

[edit] Behaviour

[edit] Diet

The diet includes grass seed.

[edit] Breeding

Pair at nest
Photo by Steve G
Tissa, Sri Lanka, July 2009

Colonial nesters of up to 20-30 pairs, usually in trees near freshwater and open ground. The male builds a basic nest from woven grass which hangs from a palm frond or branch and resembling an upside down flask, which they then display to visiting females. If a female likes the look of the nest and its male she will mate with him before lining the nest herself and laying and incubating the 3-4 white eggs.

[edit] References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, B.L. Sullivan, C. L. Wood, and D. Roberson. 2012. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to October 2012. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/downloadable-clements-checklist
2. Wikipedia
3. BF Member observations

• List of references

[edit] External Links