Bornean Shortwing
Brachypteryx erythrogyna
A small, dark songster of montane rainforest floor and undergrowth on Borneo. Male is overall dark indigo-blue with an indistinct, often concealed white eyebrow. Female has chestnut underparts, face and rump, duller chestnut-brown crown, wings and tail, with slaty-gray back, shoulders and sides. Forages on the ground where it usually stays hidden but also known to hop around rocks above the treeline. More often heard than seen. Song is an atmospheric, up-and-down series of long, metallic notes. Call, a sharp “click!”
Identification
The Bornean shortwing (Brachypteryx erythrogyna) is a species of bird in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It is endemic to Borneo where it favours montane forest. This species was formerly considered as a subspecies of the white-browed shortwing, now the Javan shortwing (Brachypteryx montana). The white-browed shortwing was split into five separate species based on the deep genetic difference between the populations coupled with the significant differences in plumage and vocalization.
Taxonomy
Genus: Brachypteryx; Family: Muscicapidae; Order: Passeriformes.
- Scientific name
- Brachypteryx erythrogyna
- Authority
- Sharpe, 1888
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Muscicapidae
- Genus
- Brachypteryx
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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