White-bellied blue robin

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White-bellied blue robin
White-bellied Blue Robin by N.A. Nazeer.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Muscicapidae
Genus: Sholicola
Species:
S. albiventris
Binomial name
Sholicola albiventris
(Blanford, 1868)
Synonyms [2]

Sholicola major albiventris

The white-bellied blue robin (Sholicola albiventris) or white-bellied sholakili, is a bird of the family Muscicapidae. It is endemic to the Shola forests of the higher hills of southern India. The Nilgiri blue robin and this species were once considered separate species, later lumped as sub-species of a single species (major) and elevated again to full species in 2005 by Pamela C. Rasmussen. The species was earlier thought to be related to the shortwings and placed in the genus Brachypteryx and later moved to Myiomela since species in the genus Brachypteryx shows marked sexual dimorphism. In 2017, a study found that this is a sister group of the flycatchers in the genera Niltava, Cyornis and Eumyias among others. It was then placed in newly erected genus Sholicola. This small bird is found on the forest floor and undergrowth of dense forest patches sheltered in the valleys of montane grassland, a restricted and threatened habitat.

Contents

Description

Illustration by Joseph Smit (1867) CalleneAlbiventrisSmit.jpg
Illustration by Joseph Smit (1867)

This chat-like bird is long-legged and appears chunky with its short tail and wing. Although sharing similar habits and shape, the two species differ in plumage and both may show slight sexual dimorphism. Differences in iris colour between the females have been suggested for S. albiventris. [3] [4]

The white-bellied blue robin (S. albiventris) has a black face mask with a short whitish brow. The upperside and breast are slaty blue grading to grey on the flanks. The centre of the belly and vent is white. [5] This can appear somewhat like the male of the syntopic white-bellied blue flycatcher (Cyornis pallipes) but can be distinguished by behaviour apart from the longer legs and greyer colouration. [3] Although the plumage is identical between males and females, males are slightly longer winged and have longer tarsi. [6]

Taxonomy and systematics

In Pampadum Shola National Park, Munnar, Kerala, India White Bellied Blue Robin.jpg
In Pampadum Shola National Park, Munnar, Kerala, India

In 1867, W T Blanford described a new species Callene albiventris obtained by Rev. S. Fairbank from the Palni Hills. Blanford noted the similarity to the Nilgiri form while also noting the geographical isolation of the two forms and relation to species from northeastern India. [7] Eugene Oates in the first edition of The Fauna of British India moved the species back into the genus Brachypteryx stating that they were congeneric with Brachypteryx cruralis while also noting that the young birds were speckled as in true-thrushes like Callene (as represented by the Blue-fronted Robin). Oates also used the name "White-bellied Short-wing". [5] This genus placement was carried on in the second edition of The Fauna of British India (1924) by E. C. Stuart Baker [8] but was demoted into a subspecies on the basis of a specimen collected by T. F. Bourdillon at Mynal which was claimed to be intermediate to the two forms. Claud Buchanan Ticehurst in 1939 reaffirmed the genus placement. [9] This treatment as subspecies was carried forward by Salim Ali and Sidney Dillon Ripley in their "Handbook" [10] [11] until the old two species were restored by P C Rasmussen in 2005. [12] In the Birds of South Asia (2005), however they moved the species tentatively into the genus Myiomela based on morphological similarities and pointed out that the placement in Brachypteryx was in error. [3] In 2010, DNA sequence studies suggested an ancient divergence in these two populations and confirmed their elevation to full species. [13] Another 2010 molecular phylogenetics study suggested that the genus Brachypteryx (the taxa sampled however, did not include the peninsular Indian forms) which was earlier thought to belong to the thrush family Turdidae belonged to the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. [14] The type species of Brachypteryx, B. montana, shows strong sexual dimorphism. [15] The genus position was however not settled until 2017 and it was found based on a larger sampling that the species from southern India formed a group that is sister to the flycatchers in the genera Eumyias, Cyanoptila, Niltava, Cyornis and Anthipes. This led to the erection of the new genus Sholicola. [16] [17]

Habitat and distribution

The natural habitat of the white-bellied blue robin is forest patches in the valleys of high altitude grasslands known as sholas. The species has been found to occur only above 1200 m altitude in the higher hill ranges of southern India. These forest patches are highly restricted in size and the species is thus threatened by habitat loss. [18]

Populations are mainly in the Anaimalai and Cardamom Hills, both south of the Palghat gap. The population in the Ashambu hills has been described as a new species Ashambu blue robin (Sholicola ashambuensis) which differs slightly in coloration and is estimated to have diverged from a common ancestor about 1.24 - 0.49 million years ago. [16]

Behaviour and ecology

These birds are found in dense forest in the dark lower canopy and forest floor. They are skulking but can be confiding. They call frequently with tit-like notes and harsh rattles. The song of S. albiventris is said to have a higher pitched and more musical song. [19] Birds have been noted to moult their tail feathers in the beginning of June. Little is known of their dispersal, longevity and other aspects of life history although more than 133 birds have been ringed. [3] [20]

Two greyish green and brown-marked eggs are laid during the breeding season that varies from April to June, after the rains. The nest is placed in a tree hole or placed on a bank and is made of moss and fibrous roots and placed low over the ground. [11] [21]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chat (bird)</span> Subfamily of birds

Chats are a group of small Old World insectivorous birds formerly classified as members of the thrush family (Turdidae), but following genetic DNA analysis, are now considered to belong to the Old World flycatcher family (Muscicapidae).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old World flycatcher</span> Family of birds

The Old World flycatchers are a large family, the Muscicapidae, of small passerine birds restricted to the Old World, with the exception of several vagrants and two species, bluethroat and northern wheatear, found also in North America. These are mainly small arboreal insectivores, many of which, as the name implies, take their prey on the wing. The family is relatively large and includes 351 species which are divided into 54 genera.

The shortwings are colourful medium-sized mostly insectivorous birds in the genus Brachypteryx of the thrush family Turdidae, although some taxonomists place them in the Old World Flycatcher family Muscicapidae. They show strong sexual plumage dimorphism. All are southeast Asian species.

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

The dull-blue flycatcher is a small passerine bird in the flycatcher family, Muscicapidae. It was previously included in the genus Muscicapa.

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

The white-bellied blue flycatcher is a small passerine bird in the flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It is endemic to the Western Ghats of southwest India. Males are dark blue with a lighter shade of blue on the brow and have a greyish white belly. Females have a rufous breast, a white face and olive grey above.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian blue robin</span> Species of bird

The Indian blue robin is a small bird found in the Indian Subcontinent. Formerly considered a thrush, it is now considered one of the Old World flycatchers in the family Muscicapidae. It was earlier also called the Indian blue chat. It is migratory, breeding in the forests along the Himalayas of Nepal, India, Myanmar and Bangladesh. They winter in the hill forests of the Western Ghats of India and in Sri Lanka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue-throated blue flycatcher</span> Species of bird

The blue-throated blue flycatcher is a small passerine bird in the flycatcher family, Muscicapidae. It resembles Cyornis tickelliae but easily separated by the blue throat. The habitat of this species is a thicker forest than other species of flycatchers. The blue-throated flycatcher is found in much of the Indian Subcontinent, all through the Himalayas, the plains and Western Ghats of India in the cold months, and also extends eastwards into Bangladesh, and to Arakan and the Tenasserim Hills in Myanmar.

<i>Brachypteryx</i> Genus of birds

Brachypteryx is a genus of passerine birds in the family Muscicapidae containing ten species known as shortwings, that occurs in southeast Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nilgiri blue robin</span> Species of bird

The Nilgiri blue robin, also known as Nilgiri shortwing, white-bellied shortwing, Nilgiri sholakili or rufous-bellied shortwing is a species of passerine bird in the family Muscicapidae endemic to the Shola forests of the higher hills of southern India, mainly north of the Palghat Gap. This small bird is found on the forest floor and undergrowth of dense forest patches sheltered in the valleys of montane grassland, a restricted and threatened habitat.

<i>Cyornis</i> Genus of birds

Cyornis is a genus of birds in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae most of which are native to Southeast Asia.

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

The Palani laughingthrush is a species of laughingthrush endemic to the hills of the Western Ghats south of the Palghat Gap in Southern India. Found in the high montane forests, this grey bibbed, rufous bellied bird with a prominent dark eyestripe and broad white brow was grouped along with the grey-breasted subspecies of the black-chinned laughingthrush and known as the grey-breasted laughingthrush. This species is found in the Palni Hills while another closely related form, the Ashambu laughingthrush with a shorter white brow is found in the high hills south of the Achankovil Gap and was treated as a subspecies. The two forms were together treated under the name of Kerala laughingthrush.

<i>Niltava</i> Genus of birds

Niltava is a genus of passerine birds in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. They are found in found in South and Southeast Asia as well as in China. The seven species in the genus are sexually dimorphic. The males have blue upperparts and all except the large niltava have orange-rufous underparts. The females are less brightly coloured and have brown upperparts and buffish underparts.

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

The Flores jungle flycatcher is a passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae that is endemic to the Lesser Sunda Islands.

<i>Myiomela</i> Genus of birds

Myiomela is a genus of bird in the family Muscicapidae. Some members have sometimes been included in the genus Cinclidium and the phylogeny has not been resolved completely.

<i>Sholicola</i> Genus of birds

Sholicola is a genus of bird in the family Muscicapidae that was erected in 2017. They are commonly referred to as sholakilis. The two species placed in this genus endemic to the montane grassland and cloud forest complex known as sholas in southern India:

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

The Sumatran shortwing is a species of bird in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It is endemic to the island of Sumatra in western Indonesia where it favours montane forest.

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

The Flores shortwing is a species of bird in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It is endemic to the island of Flores in the Lesser Sunda Islands where it favours montane forest.

References

  1. ↑ BirdLife International (2018). "Sholicola albiventris". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018: e.T22735423A131860317. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22735423A131860317.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ↑ "Myiomela albiventris". Avibase.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Rasmussen, Pamela C. & John C. Anderton (2005). Birds of South Asia. The Ripley Guide. Volume 2. Smithsonian Institution and Lynx Edicions. p. 400.
  4. ↑ Sharpe, R. Bowdler (1883). Catalogue of the birds in the British Museum. Volume 7. British Museum, London. pp. 14–17.
  5. 1 2 Oates, EW (1889). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Birds. Volume 1. Taylor and Francis, London. pp. 184–186.
  6. ↑ Robin, VV; A Sinha & U Ramakrishnan (2011). "Determining the sex of a monomorphic threatened, endemic passerine in the sky islands of southern India using molecular and morphometric methods" (PDF). Current Science. 101 (5): 676–679.
  7. ↑ Blanford, WT (1867). "On a new species of Callene from the Pulney Hills in Southern India". Proc. Zool. Soc. London: 832–834.
  8. ↑ Baker, ECS (1921). "The birds of the Indian Empire: Hand-list of the "Birds of India", Part 3". J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 27 (4).
  9. ↑ Ticehurst CB (1939). "Systematic Notes on Indian Birds.–II". Ibis. 81 (2): 348–351. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919X.1939.tb03983.x.
  10. ↑ Baker, ECS (1924). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Volume 2 (2nd ed.). Taylor and Francis, London. pp. 9–11.
  11. 1 2 Ali, S & SD Ripley (1997). Handbook of the birds of India and Pakistan. Volume 8 (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. pp. 209–210.
  12. ↑ Rasmussen, P.C. (2005). "Biogeographic and conservation implications of revised species limits and distributions of South Asian birds". Zool. Med. Leiden. 79 (13): 137–146.
  13. ↑ Robin VV, Sinha A, Ramakrishnan U (2010). "Ancient Geographical Gaps and Paleo-Climate Shape the Phylogeography of an Endemic Bird in the Sky Islands of Southern India". PLOS ONE. 5 (10): e13321. Bibcode:2010PLoSO...513321R. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0013321 . PMC   2954160 . PMID   20967202.
  14. ↑ Sangster, George; Per Alström; Emma Forsmark & Urban Olsson (2010). "Multi-locus phylogenetic analysis of Old World chats and flycatchers reveals extensive paraphyly at family, subfamily and genus level (Aves: Muscicapidae)" (PDF). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 57 (1): 380–392. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2010.07.008. PMID   20656044.
  15. ↑ Horsfield, Thomas (1824). Zoological researches in Java, and the neighbouring islands. Printed by Kingsbury, Parbury, & Allen, London. ISBN   0-19-588982-7.
  16. 1 2 Robin, V.V.; Vishnudas, C. K.; Gupta, Pooja; Rheindt, Frank E.; Hooper, Daniel M.; Ramakrishnan, Uma; Reddy, Sushma (2017). "Two new genera of songbirds represent endemic radiations from the Shola Sky Islands of the Western Ghats, India". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 17 (1): 31. doi: 10.1186/s12862-017-0882-6 . PMC   5259981 . PMID   28114902.
  17. ↑ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David (eds.). "Chats, Old World flycatchers". World Bird List Version 7.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
  18. ↑ Robin, VV & Sukumar, R (2002). "Status and habitat preference of White-bellied Shortwing Brachypteryx major in the Western Ghats (Kerala and Tamilnadu), India" (PDF). Bird Conservation International. 12 (4): 335–351. doi: 10.1017/s0959270902002216 . S2CID   795223.
  19. ↑ Terry, Horace (?) (1887). "A few additional notes on birds on the Pulney Hills". Stray Feathers. 10 (6): 467–480.
  20. ↑ Balachandran, S (1999). "Moult in some birds of Palni Hills, Western Ghats". J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 96 (1): 48–54.
  21. ↑ Hume, AO (1889). The nests and eggs of Indian birds. Volume 1 (2nd ed.). R H Porter, London. pp. 128–129.
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