Jerdon's Bushchat

A beautiful minivet inhabiting open, dry scrub and savanna with scattered acacia (Prosopis) growth. The male has a glossy black upper body, face, and neck. The breast region has a round orange patch, with the rest of the underparts white. The tail is black, with an orange rump and white markings on the wings. The plumage of the male of this bird is reminiscent of breeding male stonechats. The female is duller in appearance, with dark gray upperparts, black wings, a black tail, and dark black lores. The wings have white markings similar to the males’, and the rump is orange. The species usually moves in small groups, feeding mainly on insects.

Tiny bird; forages actively, probing into dead leaves suspended in vegetation. Note small size, overall brownish coloration, and pale eyes. Pairs or family groups join mixed-species flocks in the understory and are rarely seen away from them; does not ascend to middle strata or canopy. Most common call is a thin, descending trill.

Small, sluggish cuckoo, more often heard than seen; listen for the male’s explosive descending trills and a loud but unremarkable “chom-wit!”, often given in flight. Adult male glossy purple with white-barred belly. Female greenish-brown above with curvier, paler barring extending up to the face; juvenile similar but with stronger rufous tones to the wings and orangish crown. Female and juvenile similar to female Asian Emerald Cuckoo or Little Bronze Cuckoo; look for combination of orange bill and patchy iridescent green instead of the Emerald’s unbroken sheen or Little Bronze’s dark bill and duller sheen.