- Horornis ruficapilla
Identification
12-13 cm (4¾-5 in)
A small, dark, secretive warbler.
Dark chestnut crown, nape and earcoverts. Barely noticable black lores and eyestripe. The rest of the upperparts are dark chocolate brown. Chin and throat whitish, rest of the underpsrts are grey with a brownish wash to the rear flanks and vent. Bill black with a yellowish base to the lower mandible, legs black.
Variations
Kandavu birds are distinctly different with a broad off white supercilium, narrowing sharply to the rear, grey ear coverts, slightly darker moustachial stripe and showing much less contrast at the chin and throat.
Distribution
Endemic to the Fiji Islands
Taxonomy
Formerly placed in genus Cettia.
Subspecies
There are 4 subspecies[1]
- H. r. ruficapilla: Kandavu
- H. r. badiceps : Viti Levu
- H. r. castaneoptera: Vanua Levu
- H. r. funebris: Taveuni
Habitat
Mature upland forests, often with steep slopes. They prefer to keep to areas with bamboo or thick undergrowth.
Behaviour
Diet
Their diet consists mostly of invertebrates which they find on or near the ground.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2015. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2015, with updates to August 2015. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved November 2015)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Fiji Bush Warbler. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 3 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Fiji_Bush_Warbler
