From Opus

Photo by Rakesh
Female, Yeeor, Sanjay Gandhi National Park, India

Coracina melanoptera

Identification

18cm
Male

• Black head, wings and tail
• Ash-grey body with whitish underparts
  

Female

• Grey head
• Black and white underparts

Distribution

South and south-east Asia.

Taxonomy

Subspecies^[1]

There are 2 subspecies:

• C. m. melanoptera:

• Northern India (northern Punjab and United Provinces); winters to Myanmar

• C. m. sykesi:

• Southern India and Sri Lanka

Habitat

Photo by James Williams
Male, Hampi, Karnataka, Southern India

Woodlands.

Behaviour

It is usually seen in pairs.

Diet

The diet includes insects and berries such as lantana.

Breeding

Breeding season is March to August. The nest is a shallow cup on the top surface of a branch. Twigs and rootlets are bound together with cobwebs.

References

1. Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
2. Prakriti

External Links