Alternative names: Golden-breasted Tit-babbler; Himalayan Golden-breasted Tit-babbler; Golden Fulvetta, Golden Tit-babbler
- Lioparus chrysotis
Alcippe chrysotis
Identification
A small (10-11,5 cm), colourful Fulvetta:
- Grey above
- Black head with silvery ear-coverts
- Black wings with yellow to orange-yellow slashes
- Orange-yellow underparts
Juveniles have a yellowish throat. This species could be confused wiith Silver-eared Mesia which is much larger and has much more clear-cut head pattern.
Distribution
Patchily distributed in the mountains of SE Asia. Found in the Himalayas from C Nepal east over Bhutan and India and in adjacent S Tibet. Also in the NE Indian Hill States (Assam, Nagaland, Manipur). Also found in N Myanmar, N and C Vietnam and S and SC China (Yunnan, Sichuan, Gansu, Shaanxi, Guangxi, Hunan and Guangdong).
Common in parts of its range.1
Taxonomy
Six subspecies are recognized1,2:
- L. c. chrysotis in the Himalayas (Nepal, Bhutan, India and adjacent Tibet
- L. c. albilineata in NE India
- L. c. forresti in NE Myanmar and S China
- L. c. amoena in S China and N Vietnam
- L. c. robsoni in C Vietnam
- L. c. swinhoii in SC China
Formerly placed in the genus Alcippe.
Habitat
Found in dense undergrowth in temperate forest between 2000 and 3000m in the Himalayas and 1100 and 2500m in China.1
Behaviour
Feeds on insects, small berries and seeds. Forages low in thickets.
Usually seen in pairs or groups of 20 to 30 birds, sometimes more. Often hangs upside-down like a Tit.
Breeding season from May to June in India, April to June in Myanmar and China. The nest is a deep cup, constructed by both sexes and made of dry bamboo leaves, dry grasses, stalks and moss. It's placed in bamboo clump or a bush, 0,4 to 1m above the ground. Lays 3 - 5 eggs.
Resident species with some local altitudinal movements.1
Vocalisation
<flashmp3>Gold breasted Fulvetta.mp3</flashmp3>
Listen in an external program
Recording by china guy, Sichuan, June 2011
References
- 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
- Clements, JF. 2011. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to August 2011. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/downloadable-clements-checklist
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Golden-breasted Fulvetta. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 6 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Golden-breasted_Fulvetta
