Bugun Liocichla
Liocichla bugunorum
Small laughingthrush-like bird with a tiny range in far northeastern India. Look for a neat black cap, glowing yellow-orange broken “eyebrow,” and yellow-tinged wings. Appears to favor dense forest edge and degraded forest at 2060-2340 meters. Clambers about in lower levels of forest, typically in pairs or small groups, occasionally with otherwise uniform flocks of other species. Song is a series of mellow descending whistles, often with a slight rise at the end.
Identification
The Bugun liocichla is a small babbler (20 cm (7.9 in)) with olive-grey plumage and a black cap. The face is marked with prominent orange-yellow lores, and the wings have yellow, red and white patches. The tail is black with crimson coloured undertail coverts and red tips. The feet are pink and the bill is black at the face fading to pale white. A second duller individual was mist netted, which was probably the female. The voice is described as fluty and distinctive.<p>A study of the evolution of the species within the genus Liocichla based on mitochondrial DNA sequence similarity showed that the species is most closely related to L. omeiensis with the Hengduan Mountains possibly acting as the isolating barrier between the two.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Liocichla bugunorum
- Authority
- Athreya, 2006
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Leiothrichidae
- Genus
- Liocichla
Range and habitat
All sightings of the species have been at an altitude of 2,000 m (6,600 ft) on disturbed hillsides covered with shrubs and small trees, with the exception of one sighting on the edge of primary forest. It lives in a territory similar to that of the Emei Shan liocichla. Small flocks were observed during January, whereas pairs were observed in May, with an estimated total of 14 individuals. It is thought that pairs may hold and defend territories. The Bugun liocichla is only currently known from just one location. Populations may be discovered in other areas of Arunachal Pradesh or neighbouring Bhutan.<p>Attempts have been made to identify new locations where the species could occur based on identification of suitable habitats using computational models.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Black-bellied Bustard
Lissotis melanogaster
A lithe, medium-sized bustard with black daubs on a mostly tan-colored back. The male has a black belly, neck stripe, throat, and face patch. The female is uniform buff-brown from the belly to the head. In flight, both sexes have white windows in the wings. Singles and pairs inhabit tall grassland and grassy savanna. Its strange display involves the male stretching his neck and making a frog-like “kwoork” croak, and as he retracts his head to the shoulders, follows with a “grrrr” growl and champagne-cork-like “pop” while his head lifts again. He also performs an aerial display with the wings held back rigidly and with a puffed throat exposed.
Red-capped Crombec
Sylvietta ruficapilla
Small and virtually tailless warbler with a pale gray back and rufous marks on the cheek and breast. The color of the cap and forehead vary geographically, and can be gray or rufous. Found in miombo woodland, mainly in the canopy. Often joins mixed-species feeding flocks. The song is a short, up-and-down warble. Similar in shape to other crombecs, but identified by rufous cheek and breast patches.
Black-billed Gull
Chroicocephalus bulleri
Pale gull endemic to New Zealand. White with light gray wings and back. Tips of wings have thin black border. Note long thin black bill and black or reddish-black legs (but legs turn bright red during late incubation and hatching). Non-breeding adults have a reddish tinge to the base of their bill, while immature birds have a light pink bill with a dark tip and pinkish legs. The species mostly breeds on inland braided riverbeds in the South Island, but a small proportion of the population breeds in the North Island and on the coast. Distinguished from similar Silver Gull by longer, thinner bill, less extensive black on outer wingtips, and lighter overall.
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