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Difference between revisions of "Red-billed Leiothrix" - BirdForum Opus

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(Picture of female. Some extra ID info (female & subspecies). References updated)
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14 - 15cm (5½-6 in), A small compact and unmistakable Babbler<sup>[[#References|3]]</sup>:
 
14 - 15cm (5½-6 in), A small compact and unmistakable Babbler<sup>[[#References|3]]</sup>:
 
* Mostly greyish-olive
 
* Mostly greyish-olive
−
* Red bill with dark base
+
* Short red bill with dark base
−
* Pale face and [[Topography#Heads|lores]]  
+
* Pale face and [[Topography#Heads|lores]] is yellowish buff in most subspecies
 
* Yellow throat
 
* Yellow throat
 
* Notched black tail with flared tips
 
* Notched black tail with flared tips
−
Female: more greenish-brown, greyer ear-[[Topography#General Anatomy|coverts]], weaker [[Topography#Heads|submoustachial]] stripe, paler below.
+
* Undertail coverts long, white-tipped
 +
* Variable yellow or orange markings on wings
 +
Female: more greenish-brown, greyer ear-[[Topography#General Anatomy|coverts]], weaker [[Topography#Heads|submoustachial]] stripe, paler below. Immature is similar to female but with less vibrant colours including a less red bill.  
 
====Variations====
 
====Variations====
 
[[Image:Red-billed_Leiothrix2.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Ssp. ''calipyga''<br />Photo by {{user|Yeshey+Dorji|Yeshey Dorji}}<br />Taba, Thimphu, Western [[Bhutan]], May 2000]]
 
[[Image:Red-billed_Leiothrix2.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Ssp. ''calipyga''<br />Photo by {{user|Yeshey+Dorji|Yeshey Dorji}}<br />Taba, Thimphu, Western [[Bhutan]], May 2000]]
−
*''kwangtungensis'': similar to nominate, but their nape and crown is yellower-tinged with more olive-toned posterior upperparts. They have a yellower face, sides of neck and underparts. There is an orange patch at base of [[Topography#Wings|secondaries]]<br />
+
 
−
*''kumaiensis'': has a greener crown with less of a yellowish wash than nominate. There is little or no chestnut-red wing patch but orange-red distal outer fringes of inner primaries, patch at base of the secondaries is orange<br />
+
*''kumaiensis'': has a greener crown with less of a yellowish wash than nominate. Wing-patches consists of orange-red distal outer fringes of inner primaries and an orange patch at base of the secondaries <br />
−
*''calipyga'' is similar to ''kumaiensis'' but yellower above, orange-red fringes of inner primaries extending entire length of feathers<br />
+
*''calipyga'' is similar to ''kumaiensis'' but yellower above, with orange-red fringes of inner primaries extending the entire length of the feathers<br />
−
*''yunnanensis'' is similar to ''kumaiensis'' above, but [[Topography#Heads|lores]]  and ocular area are whitish; chin to breast is paler and the wing has no red or orange colouring.
+
*''yunnanensis'' is similar to ''kumaiensis'' above but overall paler, with [[Topography#Heads|lores]]  and ocular area are whitish; chin to breast is paler and the wing lacks red or orange colouring
 +
*''kwangtungensis'': similar to nominate, but yellower on nape, crown, face, sides of neck and underparts. Rear end of upperparts are more olive-toned. Wing markings consists of an orange patch at base of [[Topography#Wings|secondaries]]<br />
 +
*''lutea'': this, the nominate form, has yellowish-buff face, wings with a large chestnut-red basal patch on primaries and yellow to orange yellow edgings on the rest of the primaries, as well as a small yellow area at the base of the secondaries
 
==Distribution==
 
==Distribution==
 
[[Image:23414255 10214294409336795 878990486 n.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Male, Subspecies ''kumaiensis''<br />Photo by {{user|Zagham|Zagham}}<br />Margalla Hills, Islamabad, Pakistan, November 2017]]
 
[[Image:23414255 10214294409336795 878990486 n.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Male, Subspecies ''kumaiensis''<br />Photo by {{user|Zagham|Zagham}}<br />Margalla Hills, Islamabad, Pakistan, November 2017]]

Revision as of 23:56, 29 April 2018

Photo by alibenn
Hubei, China, March 2004

Alternative names: Pekin Robin; Peking Robin; Red-billed Mesia

Leiothrix lutea

Identification

Female, subspecies kumaiensis
Photo by Vipul Ramanuj
Sattal, Uttarakhand, India, May 2015

14 - 15cm (5½-6 in), A small compact and unmistakable Babbler3:

  • Mostly greyish-olive
  • Short red bill with dark base
  • Pale face and lores is yellowish buff in most subspecies
  • Yellow throat
  • Notched black tail with flared tips
  • Undertail coverts long, white-tipped
  • Variable yellow or orange markings on wings

Female: more greenish-brown, greyer ear-coverts, weaker submoustachial stripe, paler below. Immature is similar to female but with less vibrant colours including a less red bill.

Variations

Ssp. calipyga
Photo by Yeshey Dorji
Taba, Thimphu, Western Bhutan, May 2000
  • kumaiensis: has a greener crown with less of a yellowish wash than nominate. Wing-patches consists of orange-red distal outer fringes of inner primaries and an orange patch at base of the secondaries
  • calipyga is similar to kumaiensis but yellower above, with orange-red fringes of inner primaries extending the entire length of the feathers
  • yunnanensis is similar to kumaiensis above but overall paler, with lores and ocular area are whitish; chin to breast is paler and the wing lacks red or orange colouring
  • kwangtungensis: similar to nominate, but yellower on nape, crown, face, sides of neck and underparts. Rear end of upperparts are more olive-toned. Wing markings consists of an orange patch at base of secondaries
  • lutea: this, the nominate form, has yellowish-buff face, wings with a large chestnut-red basal patch on primaries and yellow to orange yellow edgings on the rest of the primaries, as well as a small yellow area at the base of the secondaries

Distribution

Male, Subspecies kumaiensis
Photo by Zagham
Margalla Hills, Islamabad, Pakistan, November 2017

Found in the Himalayas, N Burma, N Vietnam and S, SC and E China.
Common in parts of its range, but scarce and declining in others due to heavy trading as cagebirds.
Introduced populations on the Hawaiian Islands, where it exhibits dramatic and unexplained population fluctuations. There are small but thriving populations of escapees in Japan since the 1980s. Furthermore small populations got established in Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, and on Reunion Island.1

Taxonomy

Subspecies

Clements2 accepts six subspecies:

  • L. l. kumaiensis in the North West Himalayas (North East Pakistan to North India)
  • L. l. calipyga Himalayas from West Nepal over Sikkim, Bhutan and Assam to adjacent South East Tibet
  • L. l. luteola from South Assam to South West Burma
  • L. l. yunnanensis from North East Burma to South China (Yunnan)
  • L. l. kwangtungensis in South and South East China (South East Yunnan, Guangxi, Hunan and Guangdong) and North Vietnam
  • L. l. lutea in South-central and East China (Gansu, Shaanxi, Hubei, Anhui, Zhejiang, Fujian, Sichuan, Guizhou and Guangxi)

The Handbook of the World1 however doesn't accept luteola and includes it in calipyga. Furthermore the Doubtful Leiothrix L. (l.) astleyi, known from a pair of birds shipped from S China is now considered to represent mutated cagebirds.

Habitat

Undergrowth of open broadleaf forest, mixed forest, forest edge, secondary growth, scurb, tea plantations, abandoned cultivation. Primarly between 900 and 2400m.1

Behaviour

Diet

Feeds on insects but takes also berries and fruit.
During the breeding season in pairs, outside in groups of 4 - 6 individuals (bigger groups possible), often associating with other species in birdwaves.

Breed

Breeding season generally from April to October, varying through range. The nest is an oval cup, built by the female with grasses, dead bamboo and other leaves. It's placed in bush or bamboo, close to the ground (0.6 to 1.5m). Lays 3 - 5 eggs, the incubation period is 11 - 14 days.

Movements

Resident species with some altitudinal movement in the Himalayas.1

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, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
  3. Rasmussen, P. C. and Anderton, J. C. 2005. Birds of South Asia. The Ripley Guide. Washington and Barcelona. Smithsonian Institute and Lynx Edicions. ISBN 84-87334-67-9
  4. Birdforum thread discussing presence in Europe (post 36 and those following)
  5. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved Nov 2017 and Apr 2018)
  6. Craig Robson Field guide to the birds of SE Asia
  7. Birdforum thread discussing ID of females and subspecies

Recommended Citation

External Links


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