Chestnut-breasted Malkoha - BirdForum Opus

Male
Photo by 996sps
Sepilok, Sabah, Malaysia, May 2009

Phaenicophaeus curvirostris

Identification

Size:-35cm including tail
Has entirely chestnut underparts and a lack of white tip to tail feathers. Upperparts dark iridescent green, including most of the uppertail. Has broad chestnut terminal band on upper tail. Sides of entire tail narrowly marked chestnut.
Orbital skin red.
Male - Pale blue eyes
Female-Eyes Golden to yellowish white

Photo © by the late Dr Manjeet Singh
F.R.I.M. , Sg Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia, September 2008

Distribution

Southeast Asia: found in Tenasserim (Myanmar) and the Malay Peninsula south to Greater Sundas, Java, Bali, Borneo and Palawan (Philippines).

Taxonomy

Mentawai Malkoha was formerly considered a part of Chestnut-breasted Malkoha.

Subspecies

Clements recognizes these subspecies[1]:

• P. c. singularis:

• Southern Myanmar to southern Thailand, Malay Peninsula and Sumatra

• P. c. curvirostris:

• Western and central Java

• P. c. deningeri:

• Eastern Java and Bali

• P. c. microrhinus:

• Borneo and Bangka Island

• P. c. harringtoni:

• Southern Philippines (Palawan, Balabac, Busuanga, Culion, Calauit)

An additional subspecies erythrognathus is generally considered a synonym of subspecies singularis[3].

Habitat

Mangroves (on Pulau Langkawi only), forests, forests edges, plantations and wooded gardens.

Behaviour

Usually found in pairs in the Middle storey. Sometimes forages low in dense scrub. Generally unobtrusive, perching for long periods in the foliage.

References

1. Clements, J. F., P. C. Rasmussen, T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, A. Spencer, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, M. Smith, and C. L. Wood. 2024. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2024. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Gill, F, D Donsker, and P Rasmussen (Eds). 2024. IOC World Bird List (v 14.2). Doi 10.14344/IOC.ML.14.2. http://www.worldbirdnames.org/
3. Avibase

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Chestnut-breasted Malkoha. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 27 December 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Chestnut-breasted_Malkoha

External Links

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