Fire-breasted flowerpecker

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Fire-breasted flowerpecker
Fire-breasted flowerpecker (Dicaeum ignipectus ignipectus) male Phulchowki.jpg
Male of nominate subspecies from Nepal
Dicaeum ignipectus female (cropped).jpg
Female
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Dicaeidae
Genus: Dicaeum
Species:
D. ignipectus
Binomial name
Dicaeum ignipectus
(Blyth, 1843)
Synonyms

Myzanthe ignipectus
Micrura ignipectus

The fire-breasted flowerpecker (Dicaeum ignipectus) is a species of bird in the family Dicaeidae found in the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Like other flowerpeckers, this tiny bird feeds on fruits and plays an important role in the dispersal of fruiting plants. [2] [3] Unlike many other species in the genus, this species has marked sexual dimorphism with the male having contrasting upper and lower parts with a distinctive bright orange breast patch. The female is dull coloured.

Contents

Description

The fire-breasted flowerpecker is a small flowerpecker with a small and dark bill. The male has glossy blue-black upperparts. The underside is buffy but a bright red breast patch. Starting below it and along the middle is a short black stripe going down till the belly. The female is dark olive above and buff below. The sides are olive and the bill has a pale base. [4]

Weighing just 7–9 g (0.25–0.32 oz) and measuring under 7 cm (2.8 in) long, it is one of the smallest flowerpeckers. [2] They are usually found at the tops of the trees especially on mistletoes. They have a shrill call given regularly and has been likened to snipping scissors and a staccato tsit. [4]

The species was first described by Edward Blyth in 1843 based on a specimen obtained from Nepal by B H Hodgson. [5] The name was based on Hodgson's manuscripts but was published by Blyth. [6] The type specimen claimed to have been deposited at the British Museum is said to be lost, but may exist in the collection of the Asiatic Society museum in Calcutta. [7]

It has been said to be "the smallest bird of India" or "perhaps the smallest": [8]

... the Fire-breasted Myzanthe (Myzanthe ignipectus), a bird which is remarkable as being the smallest bird of India. So very small is this beautiful little bird, that an adult specimen is hardly two and a half inches in total length, and weighs only three and a half drachms. In its habits it is very like the Dicaeum, frequenting the tops of trees, and keeping itself well out of sight...

— John George Wood, 1862 [9]

Distribution

It is found widely distributed along the sub-Himalayan region in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh [10] [11] and extends into Southeast Asia into Indonesia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and the Philippines. Its natural habitats are temperate forest, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.

Several populations have been named as subspecies. The nominate ignipectus found along the Himalayas into Southeast Asia on the mainland. The remaining are insular populations and include formosum of Taiwan, luzoniense of Luzon, bonga of Samar and apo of the Negros and Mindanao. The species itself forms a superspecies complex with Dicaeum monticolum , D. celebicum , D. sanguinolentum and D. hirundinaceum which are sometimes all treated as one species. Hybridization with Dicaeum cruentatum has been suggested. [12] [13] Many island forms show patterns of very restricted ranges or micro-endemism and it has been suggested that these be treated with care for conservation planning. [14]

The populations found in the Philippines have males with the underparts similar to D. monticolum while the females have a steel-green gloss on the upperparts unlike the dull green of more northern forms. The Sumatran population beccarii is the most distinct form and differs also from D. sanguinolentum. The males have a steel-green gloss on the upper parts and lack the throat patch while the females have greenish upperparts and lack the red rump. [13]

Throughout its range, the species is found in high mountains above 1000 metres but in China, they may be found during winter at lower altitudes. [13]

Behaviour and ecology

Like many other flowerpeckers, they disperse the seeds of mistletoes. In the Nepal Himalayas, they have been found to be important dispersers of Scurrula species. [15]

In Nainital they are said to breed in June and July. The nest is pendant and purse like, opening on the side towards the top. The nest is thin and felt-like, made up of the hairy coverings of stems from mistletoes. The nest is lined with moss and soft grass. Two or three eggs are laid and both sexes incubate and take care of the young. [16] [17]

In Hong Kong, their population is believed to have increased with maturation of restored forest. They were first recorded in 1954 but have starter breed regularly since 1975. [18]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flowerpecker</span> Family of birds

The flowerpeckers are a family, Dicaeidae, of passerine birds. The family comprises two genera, Dicaeum and Prionochilus, with 50 species in total. The family has sometimes been included in an enlarged sunbird family Nectariniidae. The berrypeckers of the family Melanocharitidae and the painted berrypeckers, Paramythiidae, were once lumped into this family as well. The family is distributed through tropical southern Asia and Australasia from India east to the Philippines and south to Australia. The family has a wide range occupying a wide range of environments from sea level to montane habitats. Some species, such as the mistletoebird of Australia, are recorded as being highly nomadic over parts of their range.

<i>Dicaeum</i> Genus of birds

Dicaeum is a genus of birds in the flowerpecker family Dicaeidae, a group of passerines tropical southern Asia and Australasia from India east to the Philippines and south to Australia. The genus Dicaeum is closely related to the genus Prionochilus and forms a monophyletic group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thick-billed flowerpecker</span> Species of bird

The thick-billed flowerpecker is a tiny bird in the flowerpecker group. They feed predominantly on fruits and are active birds that are mainly seen in the tops of trees in forests. It is a resident bird with a wide distribution across tropical southern Asia from India east to Indonesia and Timor with several populations recognized as subspecies some of which are sometimes treated as full species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pale-billed flowerpecker</span> Species of bird

The pale-billed flowerpecker or Tickell's flowerpecker is a tiny bird that feeds on nectar and berries, found in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and western Myanmar. The bird is common especially in urban gardens with berry bearing trees. They have a rapid chipping call and the pinkish curved beak separates it from other species in the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olive-crowned flowerpecker</span> Species of bird

The olive-crowned flowerpecker is a small passerine bird in the flowerpecker family, Dicaeidae. It is found in far western New Guinea and on adjacent islands.

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

The mistletoebird, also known as the mistletoe flowerpecker, is a species of flowerpecker native to most of Australia and also to the eastern Maluku Islands of Indonesia in the Arafura Sea between Australia and New Guinea. The mistletoebird eats mainly the berries of the parasitic mistletoe and is a vector for the spread of the mistletoe's seeds through its digestive system.

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

The red-keeled flowerpecker or red-striped flowerpecker is a species of bird in the family Dicaeidae. It is endemic to the Philippines. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. The black-belted flowerpecker was formerly regarded as a subspecies of this bird.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scarlet-backed flowerpecker</span> Species of bird

The scarlet-backed flowerpecker is a species of passerine bird in the flowerpecker family Dicaeidae. Sexually dimorphic, the male has navy blue upperparts with a bright red streak down its back from its crown to its tail coverts, while the female and juvenile are predominantly olive green. It is found in subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and occasionally gardens in a number of countries throughout South and East Asia.

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

The black-sided flowerpecker, also known as the Bornean flowerpecker, is a species of bird in the family Dicaeidae. It is endemic to the island of Borneo, where it is found in the mountains, primarily above 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in elevation. The species is sexually dimorphic. The male has glossy blue-black upperparts, with a scarlet throat and breast, a dark grey upper belly, olive flanks, a white lower belly, and a buffy vent and undertail coverts. The female is olive-green above and greyish below, with buffy flanks and a whitish throat. It inhabits a range of forest habitats, including primary and secondary montane forest, kerangas forest, and scrub, and is also occasionally found in gardens. It feeds primarily on small fruits—particularly mistletoe berries—as well as seeds, nectar, and various invertebrates. It builds a nest of moss, camouflaged on the outside with lichens and lined with the pith of tree ferns. The International Union for Conservation of Nature rates it as a species of least concern. Though its numbers have not been quantified, the black-sided flowerpecker is said to be common throughout much of its range, and any declines are not thought to be precipitous. However, destruction of forest for palm plantations may impact it.

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

The whiskered flowerpecker is a species of bird in the family Dicaeidae. It is endemic to the island of Mindanao in the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blood-breasted flowerpecker</span> Species of bird

The blood-breasted flowerpecker is a species of bird in the family Dicaeidae. It is found in the Lesser Sunda Islands. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orange-bellied flowerpecker</span> Species of bird

The orange-bellied flowerpecker is a species of bird in the family Dicaeidae. It is found in Bangladesh, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scarlet-headed flowerpecker</span> Species of bird

The scarlet-headed flowerpecker is a bird species in the family of Dicaeidae. It is a species endemic to Indonesia. This flowerpecker inhabits a few islands of the archipelago of Indonesia. It is mainly observed in open wooden areas, gardens, and mangroves.

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

The ashy flowerpecker is a species of bird in the family Dicaeidae. It is endemic to Indonesia where it occurs on Seram, Ambon and nearby islands in the Banda Arc. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.

<i>Prionochilus</i> Genus of birds

Prionochilus is one of two genera flowerpecker that make up the family Dicaeidae. The genus differs from the other flowerpecker genus, Dicaeum in having ten long primary feathers in the wing and in the character of its calls. A study comparing the calls of the two genera suggested that Prionochilus is basal to Dicaeum. The genus contains six species, in contrast to the 44 species in the genus Dicaeum. They have a more restricted distribution than Dicaeum, occurring in the Philippines, Borneo, Sumatra, Java and the Malay Peninsula. The name Prionochilus is derived from the Greek prion for saw, and kheilos for lip, referring to the minute serrations along the edge of the bill.

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

The spectacled flowerpecker is a species of bird belonging to the flowerpecker family, Dicaeidae. It was first observed in 2009 in the forests of Borneo, but due to limited information and the lack of a specimen for scientific study, it was not formally described or given a scientific name until 2019.

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

The plain flowerpecker is a bird in the family Dicaeidae. The species was described and given its binomial name by Robert Swinhoe in 1870. It is found in the central Himalayas, through western Indonesia to Taiwan.

The Cambodian flowerpecker is a species of bird in the family Dicaeidae that is native to east Thailand and Cambodia. It was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the fire-breasted flowerpecker.

The Sumatran flowerpecker is a species of bird in the family Dicaeidae that is found in montane Sumatra. It was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the fire-breasted flowerpecker.

The fire-throated flowerpecker is a species of bird in the flowerpecker family Dicaeidae that is found in the Philippines except on the islands of Mindoro, the Palawan group and the Sulu Archipelago. It was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the fire-breasted flowerpecker.

References

  1. ↑ BirdLife International (2016). "Dicaeum ignipectus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T103776843A94539939. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T103776843A94539939.en . Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 Ingle, Nina R (2003). "Seed dispersal by wind, birds, and bats between Philippine montane rainforest and successional vegetation". Oecologia. 134 (2): 251–261. Bibcode:2003Oecol.134..251I. doi:10.1007/s00442-002-1081-7. JSTOR   4223499. PMID   12647166. S2CID   9207574.
  3. ↑ Corlett, Richard T (1998). "Frugivory and seed dispersal by birds in Hong Kong shrubland" (PDF). Forktail. 13: 23–27.
  4. 1 2 Rasmussen PC & JC Anderton (2005). Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide. Vol. 2. Smithsonian Institution & Lynx Edicions. pp. 545–546.
  5. ↑ Blyth, E (1843). "Mr. Blyth's monthly Report for December Meeting, 1842, with addenda subsequently appended". Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. 12 part 2 no 143: 983.
  6. ↑ Rothschild, Lord (1921). "On a collection of birds from West-Central and North-Western Yunnan". Novitates Zoologicae . 28: 14–67 [57]. doi: 10.5962/bhl.part.26912 .
  7. ↑ Rachel L. M. Warren & C.J.O. Harrison (1971). Type specimens of Birds in The Natural History Museum. Vol. 2. Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History).
  8. ↑ Dewar, Douglas (1915). Birds of the Indian hills. John Lane, London. p.  76."The fire-breasted flower-pecker (Dicaeum ignipectus) is perhaps the smallest bird in India." p. 76
  9. ↑ Wood, John George (1862). The illustrated Natural History. Vol. 3. p.  210.
  10. ↑ Khan, MMH (2004). "Fire-breasted Flowerpecker Dicaeum ignipectus: the first record for Bangladesh" (PDF). Forktail. 20: 120. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-07-04.
  11. ↑ Cheke, Robert; Del Hoyo, Josep; Collar, Nigel; Mann, Clive; Kirwan, Guy M. (2020). "Fire-breasted Flowerpecker (Dicaeum ignipectus)". In Billerman, Shawn M; Keeney, Brooke K; Rodewald, Paul G; Schulenberg, Thomas S (eds.). Birds of the World. doi:10.2173/bow.fibflo2.01. S2CID   241973473.
  12. ↑ Baker, EC Stuart (1898). "Probably hybrid between the scarlet-backed flower-pecker (Dicaeum cruentatum) and the Fire-breasted Flowerpecker (D. ignipectus)". J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 11: 467.
  13. 1 2 3 Salomonsen, Finn (1961). "Notes on flowerpeckers (Aves, Dicaeidae). 4, Dicaeum igniferum and its derivatives. American Museum novitates ; no. 2057". American Museum Novitates (2057). hdl:2246/3436.
  14. ↑ Peterson, A T (2006). "Taxonomy is important in conservation: a preliminary reassessment of Philippine species-level bird taxonomy". Bird Conservation International. 16 (2): 155–173. doi: 10.1017/S0959270906000256 . hdl: 1808/6535 . S2CID   54650453.
  15. ↑ Devkota, M P (2005). "Mistletoes of the Annapurna Conservation Area, Central Nepal Himalayas". Journal of Japanese Botany. 80 (1): 27–36.
  16. ↑ Hume, AO (1890). The nest and eggs of Indian Birds. Vol. 2. R. H. Porter, London. p.  272.
  17. ↑ Ali S & S D Ripley (1999). Handbook of the birds of India and Pakistan. Vol. 10 (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. pp. 18–19.
  18. ↑ Leven, MR & RT Corlett (2004). "Invasive birds in Hong Kong, China". Ornithological Science. 3 (1): 43–55. doi:10.2326/osj.3.43.
  19. ↑ Jerdon, TC (1872). "Supplementary notes to the "Birds of India"". Ibis. 2 Third series: 1–21. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919X.1872.tb05855.x.

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