Nilgiri Flowerpecker
Dicaeum concolor
Small plain gray-brown bird with a slightly curved bill. Nearly identical to Plain Flowerpecker, but ranges do not overlap. Similar in appearance to Pale-billed Flowerpecker, but has a darker bill and more contrast between the upperparts and underparts. Forages mostly at middle and upper levels of foothill forests, often around mistletoe. Gives hard, often repetitive, “tzrik” and high thin notes.
Identification
These birds are tiny (9 cm long) and there is no marked difference between the males and females. It is found in hill forests of the Western Ghats and Nilgiri hills of southern India. It is pale brown on the upperside and the underside is whitish. The whitish brow in front of the eye is wider than in Dicaeum erythrorhynchos. This subspecies has been raised to full species by Pamela Rasmussen. The subspecies found in northeastern India, extending into Myanmar, Laos and southern China is called olivaceum by earlier authors but is treated by Rasmussen and other taxonomists now as a separate species Dicaeum minullum (which includes the population minullum from Hainan Island and is now termed as the plain flowerpecker in the more restricted sense). This is very olive above and the black bill is finer and slightly curved. The population found in the Andaman Islands virescens is also considered a separate species Dicaeum virescens (the Andaman flowerpecker) in the newer treatment. This is bright olive-green on the upperside with dark speckling on the crown. The centre of the belly has a bright patch of pale yellow.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Dicaeum concolor
- Authority
- Jerdon, 1840
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Dicaeidae
- Genus
- Dicaeum
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The Nilgiri flowerpecker is a common resident breeding bird of woodland edges, cultivation and isolated stands of trees, often in hilly country. The call of the Nilgiri flowerpecker is a sharp check or a rapid series of ticks, while the song is a high-pitched trill. The breeding season of concolor in the Nilgiris is January to April possibly with a second brood in May and June. Two or three eggs are laid in a purse-like nest suspended from a tree or bush. Like other flowerpeckers they have a feathery tongue that allows them to sip nectar, but they feed on soft berries as well as small insects.<p>They are important pollinators and dispersers of mistletoes in tropical forests.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Chloroceryle aenea
Tiny kingfisher of shady forest streams and mangroves. Often darts away when disturbed, but can be confiding if approached quietly and usually perches fairly low over the water. About half of the size of Green Kingfisher, and easily distinguished by rusty underparts and poorly contrasting pale neck collar (bright white on Green Kingfisher). Female has a narrow green breast band, lacking on male.
Desert Wheatear
Oenanthe deserti
Small dark-winged bird found in dry, open areas with sparse vegetation. Frequently seen perched up on posts, telephone lines, and rock mounds. Breeding male is soft brown above and pale below with a tan breast and a jet-black face, wings, and tail; nonbreeding male’s face is mottled instead of solid black. Female is more modestly colored and is gray above with less extensive black on the wings. Beware of very similar female Northern Wheatear, which tends to be warmer-colored, especially on the breast and has more extensive white in the tail than Desert Wheatear. Bright white rump in both sexes contrast sharply with black tail when in flight. The male’s song starts out with brief series of short, sweet whistles, and ends with a mellow rolling note. Calls are dry and somewhat chattery.
Leyte Plumed-Warbler
Micromacronus leytensis
A tiny and very little-known bird of foothill forest on Samar and Leyte islands. Yellow below, with a broad yellow eyebrow and olive upperparts. Note the reddish eye and the long white plumes sprouting from the sides, lower back, and rump. Somewhat similar to the female Olive-backed Sunbird, but lacks the long bill and has white plumes. Voice thought to be similar to that of Mindanao Plumed-Warbler, which gives a sibilant chatter.
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