Common woodshrike

Last updated

Common woodshrike
Common Woodshrike (Tephrodornis pondicerianus) Photograph By Shantanu Kuveskar.jpg
T. p. pondicerianus, India
Calls of T. p. pondicerianus

Calls of T. p. pallidus
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Vangidae
Genus: Tephrodornis
Species:
T. pondicerianus
Binomial name
Tephrodornis pondicerianus
(Gmelin, JF, 1789)
Tephrodornis pondicerianus map.svg
Rough distribution range

The common woodshrike (Tephrodornis pondicerianus) is a species of bird found in Asia. It is now usually considered a member of the family Vangidae. It is small and ashy brown with a dark cheek patch and a broad white brow. It is found across Asia mainly in thin forest and scrub habitats where they hunt insects, often joining other insectivorous birds. The form found in Sri Lanka which was treated as a subspecies is now usually considered a separate species, the Sri Lanka woodshrike.

Contents

Taxonomy

The common woodshrike was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae . He placed it with the flycatchers in the genus Muscicapa and coined the binomial name Muscicapa pondiceriana. [2] [3] Gmelin based his description on the "Le gobe-mouches de Pondichéry" that had been described in 1782 by the French naturalist Pierre Sonnerat. [4] The type locality was restricted from Pondicherry to Chennai by Claud Ticehurst in 1921. [5] The common woodshrike is now one of four species placed in the genus Tephrodornis that was introduced in 1832 by the English naturalist William Swainson. [6] The genus name combines the Ancient Greek tephōdēs meaning "like ashes" or "ash-coloured" with ornis meaning "bird". [7]

Three subspecies are recognised: [6]

The Sri Lanka woodshrike (Tephrodornis affinis) was formerly treated as a subspecies. It was promoted to full species status based on its distinct plumage as well as its calls. Unlike the common woodshrike, the Sri Lanka woodshrike displays strong sexual dimorphism. [6] [8]

Description

The common woodshrike is dully ashy brown and like other woodshrikes has a large head with a strong hooked beak. They have a broad creamy brow above a dark cheek patch and white outer tail feathers contrasting with their dark tail. Young birds have streaks and spot on the crown and white spots on the mantle. The underside is also streaked and the breast is heavily marked in young birds. The northern race pallidus is pale brown above and has brown rather than black central rectrices. [8] [9] [10]

Behaviour and ecology

T. p. pallidus showing the white outer tail feathers and brown central tail feathers (Punjab). CommonWoodshrike.JPG
T. p. pallidus showing the white outer tail feathers and brown central tail feathers (Punjab).

Usually found in pairs, they have a loud whistling song made of several notes. The usual call is a plaintive weet-weet followed by a series of quick whi-whi-whi-whee?. [11] They have a loud song consisting of several rapid whistling notes. They feed on mainly on insects and sometimes berries by gleaning mostly along branches and leaves within trees but sometimes also make aerial sallies or descend to the ground. They have a habit of adjusting their wings, raising them over the tail shortly after alighting on a perch. They nest in summer before the rainy season, building a cup nest on a bare fork. The nest is made of fibres and bark held by cobwebs and covered with bits of bark and lichen. It is lined with silky plant fibres. [8] Three eggs are the usual clutch. Both parents incubate but it is thought that only the female feeds the young. Young birds are fed on insects and berries. [11] [12] [13] Two broods may be raised in some years. [14]

A species of Haemoproteus was described from a Goan specimen of this species as Haemoproteus tephrodornis by Froilano de Mello in 1935. [15] A spirurid nematode Oxyspirura alii was described and named after S. Mehdi Ali and obtained from within the eye cavity of a common woodshrike specimen from Hyderabad. [16] Ticks of the species Haemaphysalis bispinosa and H. intermedia have been recorded on the species. [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barred buttonquail</span> Species of bird

The barred buttonquail or common bustard-quail is a buttonquail, one of a small family of birds which resemble, but are not closely related to, the true quails. This species is resident from India across tropical Asia to south China, Indonesia and the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red spurfowl</span> Species of bird

The red spurfowl is a member of the pheasant family and is endemic to India. It is a bird of forests, and is quite secretive despite its size. It has a distinctive call and is often hard to see except for a few seconds when it flushes from the undergrowth. It appears reddish and like a long-tailed partridge. The bare skin around the eye is reddish. The legs of both males and females have one or two spurs, which give them their name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-browed wagtail</span> Species of bird

The white-browed wagtail or large pied wagtail is a medium-sized bird and is the largest member of the wagtail family. They are conspicuously patterned with black above and white below, a prominent white brow, shoulder stripe and outer tail feathers. White-browed wagtails are native to South Asia, common near small water bodies and have adapted to urban environments where they often nest on roof tops. The specific name is derived from the Indian city of Madras.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forest wagtail</span> Species of bird

The forest wagtail is a medium-sized passerine bird in the wagtail family Motacillidae. It has a distinctive plumage that sets it apart from other wagtails and has the habit of wagging its tail sideways unlike the usual up and down movements of the other wagtail species. It is the only wagtail species that nests in trees. It is found mainly in forested habitats, breeding in the temperate parts of east Asia and wintering across tropical Asia from India to Indonesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black bulbul</span> Species of bird

The black bulbul, also known as the Himalayan black bulbul or Asian black bulbul, is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is found primarily in the Himalayas, its range stretching from India eastward to Southeast Asia. It is the type species of the genus Hypsipetes, established by Nicholas Aylward Vigors in the early 1830s. There are a number of subspecies, mostly varying in the shade of the body plumage which ranges from grey to black, and some also occur in white-headed morphs, as also suggested by its specific epithet leucocephalus, literally "white head". The legs and bill are always rich orange-red.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brahminy starling</span> Species of bird

The brahminy starling or brahminy myna is a member of the starling family of birds. It is usually seen in pairs or small flocks in open habitats on the plains of the Indian subcontinent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chestnut-tailed starling</span> Species of bird

The chestnut-tailed starling, also called grey-headed starling and grey-headed myna is a member of the starling family. It is a resident or partially migratory species found in wooded habitats in India and Southeast Asia. The species name is after the distribution of a former subspecies in the Malabar region. While the chestnut-tailed starling is a winter visitor to peninsular India, the closely related resident breeding population with a white head is now treated as a full species, the Malabar starling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common iora</span> Species of small passerine bird

The common iora is a small passerine bird found across the tropical Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, with populations showing plumage variations, some of which are designated as subspecies. A species found in scrub and forest, it is easily detected from its loud whistles and the bright colours. During the breeding season, males display by fluffing up their feathers and spiral in the air appearing like a green, black, yellow, and white ball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-eyed babbler</span> Species of bird

The yellow-eyed babbler is a passerine bird native to South and Southeast Asia. It inhabits shrubland, grassland and wetland habitats. On the IUCN Red List, it is listed as Least Concern because of its wide distribution and stable population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Light-vented bulbul</span> Species of bird

The light-vented bulbul, also called the Chinese bulbul, is a species of bird in the bulbul family found in central and southern China, Hong Kong, Macao, northern Vietnam, southern Japan and Taiwan, with occasional records from South Korea. A common species of songbird that favors lightly wooded habitats, it can frequently be seen in towns, suburbs and urban parks within its range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grey francolin</span> Species of bird

The grey francolin is a species of francolin found in the plains and drier parts of the Indian subcontinent and Iran. This species was formerly also called the grey partridge, not to be confused with the European grey partridge. They are mainly ground-living birds and are found in open cultivated lands as well as scrub forest and their local name of teetar is based on their calls, a loud and repeated Ka-tee-tar...tee-tar which is produced by one or more birds. The term teetar can also refer to other partridges and quails. During the breeding season calling males attract challengers, and decoys were used to trap these birds especially for fighting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rain quail</span> Species of bird

The rain quail or black-breasted quail is a species of quail found in the Indian Sub-continent and South-east Asia; its range including Pakistan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sri Lanka green pigeon</span> Species of bird

The Pompadour green pigeon, Sri Lanka green pigeon or Ceylon green pigeon is a pigeon in the genus Treron. In Sri Lanka, this bird and several other green pigeon are known as bata goya in the Sinhala language. It is found in the forests of Sri Lanka. Many authorities split the species from the pompadour green pigeon complex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape grassbird</span> Species of bird

The Cape grassbird or Cape grass warbler is an African warbler found in southern Africa. It is the only species placed in the genus Sphenoeacus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ʻŌmaʻo</span> Species of bird

The ʻōmaʻo, also called the Hawaiian thrush, is an endemic species of robin-like bird found only on the island of Hawaii. ʻŌmaʻo are closely related to the other endemic thrushes of the Hawaiian Islands, the kāmaʻo, the olomaʻo, and the puaiohi. ʻŌmaʻo are found primarily in rainforests in the eastern and southeastern regions of the Big Island. Population estimates approximate 170,000 birds, making it the most common of the Hawaiian thrushes. It appears to have a stable population, but because the entire population exists on a small range and is endemic to a single island, it is considered vulnerable.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dark-sided flycatcher</span> Species of bird

The dark-sided flycatcher is a small passerine bird belonging to the genus Muscicapa in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It has a wide breeding distribution in the East Palearctic with northern birds migrating south for the winter. It is also known as the Siberian flycatcher or sooty flycatcher, the latter name is also used for the sooty flycatcher of Africa.

<i>Tephrodornis</i> Genus of birds

Tephrodornis is a bird genus in the family Vangidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-capped bulbul</span> Species of bird

The black-capped bulbul, or black-headed yellow bulbul, is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is endemic to Sri Lanka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Caledonian whistler</span> Species of bird

The New Caledonian whistler is a species of bird in the family Pachycephalidae. It is endemic to New Caledonia.

References

  1. BirdLife International. (2017) [amended version of 2016 assessment]. "Tephrodornis pondicerianus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017: e.T103703875A112334632. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-1.RLTS.T103703875A112334632.en . Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  2. Gmelin, Johann Friedrich (1789). Systema naturae per regna tria naturae : secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis (in Latin). Vol. 1, Part 2 (13th ed.). Lipsiae [Leipzig]: Georg. Emanuel. Beer. pp. 939–940.
  3. Mayr, Ernst; Greenway, James C. Jr, eds. (1960). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 9. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 220.
  4. Sonnerat, Pierre (1782). Voyage aux Indes orientales et a la Chine, fait par ordre du Roi, depuis 1774 jusqu'en 1781 (in French). Vol. 2. Paris: Chez l'Auteur. p. 198.
  5. Ticehurst, C.B. (1921). "Descriptions of new subspecies of Indian birds". Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club. 41: 55-56 [56].
  6. 1 2 3 Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (January 2023). "Batises, bushshrikes, boatbills, vangas (sensu lato)". IOC World Bird List Version 13.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  7. Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 381. ISBN   978-1-4081-2501-4.
  8. 1 2 3 Rasmussen, Pamela C.; Anderton, John C. (2012). Birds of South Asia. The Ripley Guide. Vol. 2: Attributes and Status (2nd ed.). Washington D.C. and Barcelona: Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and Lynx Edicions. pp. 330–332. ISBN   978-84-96553-87-3.
  9. Oates, E W (1889). The Fauna of British India. Birds. Volume 1. London: Taylor and Francis. pp. 475–476.
  10. Whistler Hugh (1949). Popular Handbook of Indian Birds (4th ed.). London: Gurney and Jackson. pp. 145–146.
  11. 1 2 Ali, S; SD Ripley (1996). Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan. Volume 6 (2nd ed.). New Delhi: Oxford University Press. pp. 10–13.
  12. Sundararaman, V (1989). "On the parental care of Wood Shrike (Tephrodornis pondicerianus)". J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 86 (1): 95.
  13. Soni, H.; Pankaj, J.; J. Joshua (2005). "Nesting behaviour and unusual feeding pattern in Common Woodshrike (Tephrodornis pondicerianus)". J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 102 (1): 120.
  14. Santharam, V. (2007). "Rishi Valley after the rains" (PDF). Indian Birds. 3 (2): 67–68.
  15. Mello, Froilano de (1935). "New Haemoproteids of some Indian birds". Proceedings of the Indian Academy of Sciences B. 2 (5): 469–475. doi:10.1007/BF03053034. S2CID   82402365.
  16. Sultana, Ameer (1964). "Some new eye-worms from birds in India". Zeitschrift für Parasitenkunde. 23 (6): 532–547. doi:10.1007/BF00259692. PMID   14134900. S2CID   9569721.
  17. Miranpuri, Gurwattan S.; Bindra, Onkar S.; Prasad, Vikram (1975). "Tick fauna of north-western India (Acarina : Metastigmata)". International Journal of Acarology. 1 (1): 31–54. doi:10.1080/01647957508683735.