Chestnut-tailed Minla - BirdForum Opus

Alternative names: Bar-throated Minla; Stripe-throated Minla; Bar-throated Siva

Photo © by Peter Ericsson
Doi Inthanon National Park, Thailand, July 2006

Actinodura strigula

Minla strigula, Chrysominla strigula

Identification

With 16 - 18.5 cm (6¼-7¼ in) a small grey to yellow Babbler¹:

• Ragged-crested golden-rufous crown
• Long black malar streak and cross-bars on whitish throat
• Yellow chin and underparts
• Wings boldly patterned orange-yellow and black and grey
• Black tail, bordered and tipped yellow

Juveniles are greyer above and have less yellow on forehead. Subspecies differ on colouration.

Photo © by NoOM
Doi Inthanon National Park, Chiang Mai, Thailand, January 2009

Distribution

Found in the mountains of SE-Asia from the Himalayas (India, Nepal, Bhutan) patchily over Myanmar to Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, the Malay Peninsula and S China (Xizang, Yunnan, Sichuan).
Common in parts of its range.¹

Taxonomy

Recently placed in genus Actinodura. Has also been placed in genus Minla or in Chrysominla.

Subspecies

Subspecies yunnanensis
Photo © by paux
West Yunnan, China, February 2016

Clements² accepts six subspecies:

• A. s. simlaensis in the western Himalayas
• A. s. strigula in the Himalayas from central Nepal to south-eastern Tibet
• A. s. yunnanensis northeastern India, adjacent southern China (southeastern Xizang, Yunnan, and southern and southwestern Sichuan), northern, western, and northeastern Myanmar, northern and central Laos, and northern Vietnam (Tonkin)
• A. s. castanicauda in southern Myanmar and north-western Thailand
• A. s. traii in southern Vietnam
• A. s. malayana on the Malay Peninsula

Subspecies cinereigenae is treated as synonym with yunnanensis while proposed subspecies victoriae from Myanmar usually is not accepted¹.

Habitat

Broadleaf evergreen forest (prefers oak), mixed broadleaf-conifer forest, rhododendron forest, also pine forest and scrub. Found from 1800m to 3750m, in winter down to 1300m.¹

Behaviour

Feeds on insects (beetles, caterpillars and others) but takes also berries and seeds, sometimes also nectar from rhododendron flowers. Forages in treetops, low herbage and rhododendron.
Outside breeding season in groups of 6 to 20 birds, often in bird waves together with other species like Red-tailed Minla and Yuhinas.
Breeding season from March to August. The nest is a cup made of grass, bamboo leaves and moss, placed in a bush or small tree, 1.5 to 3m above the ground. Lays 2 - 4 eggs.
Resident species with only small altitudinal movements.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, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2021. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2021. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Chestnut-tailed Minla. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 28 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Chestnut-tailed_Minla

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