Gould's Shortwing - BirdForum Opus

Photo by Rob Hutchinson
Eaglenest, W.S. Arunchal Predash, India, April 2009

Heteroxenicus stellatus

Brachypteryx stellata

Identification

12–13 cm

Distribution

Asia: found in China, Tibet, Nepal, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh
Southeast Asia: Indochina, Myanmar, Vietnam

Taxonomy

Previously placed in genus Brachypteryx.

Subspecies

There are 2 subspecies^[1]:

• H. s. stellatus:

• Himalayas (Nepal to Bhutan, south-eastern Tibet, south-western China and north-eastern Myanmar)

• H. s. fuscus:

• Mountains of north Vietnam (north-western Tonkin)

Habitat

Breeds on treeless mountain scree at heights around 3300–4200 m.

Behaviour

Diet

Their diet mostly consists of seeds and insects.

References

1. Clements, J. F., P. C. Rasmussen, T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, A. Spencer, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2023. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2023. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Avibase
3. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved May 2014)

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Gould's Shortwing. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 23 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Gould%27s_Shortwing

External Links

Search for photos of Gould's Shortwing in the gallery

GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1