Orange minivet

Last updated

Orange minivet
Orange Minivet, Ganeshgudi, 28 FEB 2016, Vimal Rajyaguru.jpg
Male in South India
Pericrocotus flammeus -Sri Lanka -female-8a.jpg
Female in Sri Lanka
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Campephagidae
Genus: Pericrocotus
Species:
P. flammeus
Binomial name
Pericrocotus flammeus
(Forster, 1781)

The orange minivet (Pericrocotus flammeus) is a brightly colored bird in the cuckooshrike family, Campephagidae. It is found all along the Western Ghats and west coast of India and Sri Lanka. [2] It was formerly considered a subspecies of the scarlet minivet which is considered to have a wider distribution in eastern and northern India and South-east Asia. [3] Its natural habitats are temperate forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest. The orange minivet is a species resident in southern India and Sri Lanka, that feeds primarily on insects while foraging in mixed-species bird flocks or in small single-species groups.

Contents

Taxonomy and systematics

The genus name comes from Ancient Greek peri - 'very'; krokotus 'saffron-coloured'. The species name flammeus has its roots in Latin, meaning 'fiery' or 'flame-coloured' (flamma - 'flame'). [4] The English name of this species was changed from scarlet minivet to orange minivet after the former was assigned to Pericrocotus speciosus following the split of these two species. [5] This is a complex of species from South and South-east Asia which needs more detailed work.

Description

The orange minivet measures about 17 – 22 cm and weighs 19 – 24.5 g. Males are bright orange and black while females are largely yellow with a grey upperside. Males have a glossy black head, chin, throat and mantle and upper back. Lower back, rump and uppertail-coverts are orange-red. Underparts are largely bright orange-red, that makes it stand out in the surroundings. It can be distinguished from other Pericrocotus species by isolated red markings near tips of tertials and inner secondaries. Females have a yellow forehead and ashy-grey, lower back. Red areas of male are replaced by yellow and in addition they have a yellow chin and are almost completely bright yellow on the underside. Juveniles resemble the female in this species with some variation.

Behaviour and ecology

The call of an orange minivet

The species is gregarious, typically seen foraging in small groups (more than 2 individuals) along tree tops in forests. Minivets are often seen to make bouncing flights over the canopy of the forest. They are primarily insectivorous, known to perch and scan surroundings. They catch prey by making a flight and hovering at plant surfaces to pick insects. This behaviour is often known as sally-gleaning. They regularly forage in mixed-hunting parties along with other canopy species of birds. The call of this species is sweeping whistles composed of multiple "weep-sweep" notes. They are often seen to call when in flight or when stationary.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minivet</span> Genus of birds

The minivets are passerine birds belonging to the genus Pericrocotus in the cuckooshrike family Campephagidae. There are about 15 species, occurring mainly in forests in southern and eastern Asia. They are fairly small, slender birds with long tails and an erect posture. Many species have bright red or yellow markings. They feed mainly on insects, foraging in groups in the tree canopy.

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

The scarlet minivet is a small passerine bird. This minivet is found in tropical southern Asia from Northeast India to southern China, Indonesia, and the Philippines. They are common resident breeding birds in forests and other well-wooded habitats including gardens, especially in hilly country. While the male of most subspecies are scarlet to orange with black upper parts, the females are usually yellow with greyish olive upper parts. Several former subspecies have been elevated to a species status in recent works. These include the orange minivet. All subspecies have the same habits of gleaning for insects and are often seen in mixed-species foraging flocks, usually foraging in small groups, high up in the forest canopy.

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

The small minivet is a small passerine bird. This minivet is found in tropical southern Asia from the Indian subcontinent east to Indonesia.

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

The white-bellied minivet is a species of minivet found in India, mostly in dry deciduous forest.

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

The yellow-faced myna is a species of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is found in New Guinea and nearby smaller islands, where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. The long-tailed myna was formerly included as a subspecies. One of the largest species of starling, this species attains 23 to 26 cm in length and weighs around 217 g (7.7 oz). They have dark plumage with a metallic lustre and bright orange facial markings and beak. These birds are social and omnivorous. Their diet consists of fruit and insects for which they forage high in the canopy. They are common birds with a wide range, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed their conservation status as being of "least concern". It was named after Charles Dumont.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scarlet-breasted fruit dove</span> Species of bird

The scarlet-breasted fruit dove is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is endemic to Indonesia, where it occurs in the northern Moluccas. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is rated as a species of least concern on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Endangered Species. In 1863 Hermann Schlegel named the new species for one of his collectors, Heinrich Agathon Bernstein.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scarlet-and-white tanager</span> Species of bird from South America

The scarlet-and-white tanager is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is found in Colombia and northern Ecuador. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and heavily degraded former forest. The male is highly distinctive and has bright scarlet upperparts, darker red wings and undertail coverts, and white underparts with a scarlet median stripe running down the throat and belly. Females are patterned like the males, but are olive-brown instead of scarlet.

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

The ashy minivet is a passerine bird of eastern Asia belonging to the minivet genus Pericrocotus in the cuckooshrike family Campephagidae. While most of the minivets have shades of yellow, orange and red in their plumage, this species has only greys, whites and blacks. The male is distinctive with a white face and black nape although females can be confused with the female of the brown-rumped minivet. They forage in the canopy, often along with other minivets and join mixed-species foraging flocks.

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

The long-tailed minivet is a species of bird in the family Campephagidae. It is found in southern and south-eastern Asia where it occurs in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.

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

The fiery minivet is a species of bird in the family Campephagidae. Its range includes Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. Its natural habitats are broadleaf, secondary and coastal forests. It is threatened by forest clearance and has been assessed as near-threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

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

The rosy minivet is a species of bird in the family Campephagidae. It is omnivorous.

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

The grey-chinned minivet is a species of bird in the family Campephagidae. It is found from the Himalayas to China, Taiwan and Southeast Asia. Its natural habitat is forests about 1,000–2,000 m (3,300–6,600 ft) in elevation. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed it as a least-concern species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Layard's palm squirrel</span> Species of rodent

Layard's palm squirrel or flame-striped jungle squirrel is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae endemic to Sri Lanka. The validity of the subspecies F. l. dravidianus based on a single specimen from the southern tip of India has been questioned, and is probably a juvenile F. sublineatus. Known as මූකලන් ලේනා in Sinhala.

References

  1. BirdLife International (2018). "Pericrocotus flammeus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018: e.T22706766A130430325. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22706766A130430325.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. "Orange Minivet".
  3. "Scarlet Minivet - eBird". ebird.org. Retrieved 2022-02-23.
  4. Pande, Satish (2009). Latin Names of Indian Birds, Explained. Mumbai, India: Bombay Natural History Society. p. 229. ISBN   978-0198066255.
  5. J, Praveen (13 July 2020). "Taxonomic updates to the checklists of birds of India, and the South Asian region 2020" (PDF). Indian Birds. 16: 12–19.