- Pericrocotus tegimae
Identification
17 cm.
- Small white band on forecrown, extending to eye
- Black crown, lores and ear-coverts
- White rest of head including narrow half-collar at neck side
- Dark grey upperparts, paler on rump
- Dark grey tail
- Ashy grey upper breast
- White rest of underparts
Females are similar but have a brownish tinge on upperparts.
Similar species
Ashy Minivet is paler on upperparts, has a broader white band on forecrown and whiter underparts.
Distribution
Found on Tokara Islands, Ryukyu Islands and southern Kyushu, Japan.
A fairly common restricted-range species.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species.
Often considered conspecific with Ashy Minivet and forms a superspecies with the latter and Swinhoe's Minivet and Rosy Minivet.
Habitat
Evergreen and deciduous forests, also in secondary growth and woodland areas.
Behaviour
Diet
Feeds on small invertebrates like caterpillars and flying insects.
Forages in the canopy, gleaning prey from leaves and branches and catching adult insects in flight.
Breeding
Breeding season from early March to July. The nest is a cup made of grass stems, needles and lichens. It's placed up to 11.5 m above the ground in the fork of a horizontal tree branch. Lays 4 to 5 eggs, rarely more.
Movements
A resident species with some local wandering.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2014. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.9., with updates to August 2014. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved December 2014)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Ryukyu Minivet. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 16 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Ryukyu_Minivet
