- Paradoxornis polivanovi
Identification
18 - 20cm. The only parrotbill with seasonal differences in plumage.
- Breeding:
- Crown to upper mantle plain slate grey
- Black lateral crownstripe from above eye to nape side
- Lower mantle to back dark chestnut
- Lower breast dark chestnut, lower flanks chestnut-tinged
- White eyering, whitish cheek to supercilium and throat side
- Yellow bill
- Non-breeding:
- Broadly streaked forehead and crown centre to nape with pinkish-cream and ash-grey
- Broad lateral crownstripe streaked black and rather warm brown
- Pale pinkish-cream ear-coverts
Sexes similar, juveniles are duller than adults.
Distribution
Found in extreme easter Mongolia; China (Nei Mongol, Heilongjiang) and extreme southeast Russia (Lake Khanka region, Ussuriland)
Locally common.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species,
It was formerly considered conspecific with Reed Parrotbill.
Habitat
Found in lowland reedbeds, up to 800m in Mongolia.
Behaviour
Feeds on insects.
Usually seen moving through reedbeds in groups of 5 to 15 birds, sometimes more. During breeding season in pairs.
Breeding season from May to August. The nest is a beautiful cup-shaped structure made of strips of dead reed sheats. It's placed around 1.5m above the ground, among reeds and supported by two reed stems (like the one of Eurasian Reed-Warbler). Lays 2-5 eggs.
Resient species.
References
- 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
- 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
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2021) Northern Parrotbill. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 1 June 2021 from https://www.birdforum.net/wiki/Northern_Parrotbill
