From Opus

Fulvetta ruficapilla

Alcippe ruficapilla

Identification

A small (10,5 - 11,5cm) soft-coloured Fulvetta:

• Brown to greyish-brown crown
• Blackish lateral crownstripe
• Broad pale grey supercilium
• Rufous wings with greyish wing-panel

Confusion possible with Chinese Fulvetta, but the latter has no grey supercilium and a more greyish crown.

Distribution

Found in China (Gansu, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou).
Locally common to uncommon.¹

Taxonomy

Clements² accepts two subspecies:

• F. r. ruficapilla in Central China
• F. r. sordidior in Southern China

Was formerly considered conspecific with Indochinese Fulvetta.
Formerly placed in the genus Alcippe.

Habitat

Broadleaf evergreen oak forest, secondary growth, bamboo. Found from 1250m to 2500m.¹

Behaviour

Feeds on invertebrates, also on seeds.
Found singly, in pairs or in small groups of up to eight birds.
No information about breeding available.
Resident species.¹

Vocalisation

References

1. Del Hoyo, J, A Elliott, and D Christie, eds. 2007. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 12: Picathartes to Tits and Chickadees. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8496553422
2. Clements, JF. 2010. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2010. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/Clements%206.5.xls/view

• List of references

External Links

• View more images of Spectacled Fulvetta on Orientalbirdimages