From Opus

Male
Photo by china guy
Mengbi, Sichuan, China

Leptopoecile elegans

[edit] Identification

10cm. A tiny, crested bird with a relatively long tail.

[edit] Male

• Red eye with blackish eyeline
• Chestnut head
• Paler rufous breast
• Lavender flanks and went, whitish centre of belly
• Azure-blue wings and tail
• Whitish crown with pointed crest (often folded)
• Blue mantle

Female
Photo by James Eaton
Mengbi Shan, Sichuan, China

[edit] Female

• Chestnut mantle, upperwing-coverts and flanks
• White face, throat and breast

Juveniles are similar to adults of respective sex but they lack the crest, are duller overall and dark grey above.

[edit] Distribution

Endemic to China where found in Qinghai, southern Nei Mongol, Ningxia and Gansu to southeast Tibet and Sichuan. Possible occurence in northeast India needs reconfirmation.
Generally uncommon.

[edit] Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species^[1].

Subspecies meissneri is not recognised by most authorities^[2].

[edit] Habitat

Boreal forests. Outside breeding season also in scrub.
Found from 3400 to 4300m in summer, 2600 to 3900m in winter.

[edit] Behaviour

Feeds on insects.
Forages high in trees like a Nuthatch or a Firecrest.
Joins occasionally mixed-species flocks with Willow Tit, White-browed Tit-Warbler and Goldcrest.
Breeding poorly known. One recorded nest was ca. 15m up in a conifer.
Movements also poorly known. Birds from the northern part of range might be migratory. Some seasonal altitudinal movements recorded.

[edit] References

1. Clements, JF. 2011. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to August 2011. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/downloadable-clements-checklist
2. Avibase
3. Del Hoyo, J, A Elliott, and D Christie, eds. 2008. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 13: Penduline-tits to Shrikes. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8496553453
4. Rasmussen, PC and JC Anderton. 2005. Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8487334672

• List of references

[edit] External Links