Chinese Rubythroat

Overview

The Chinese rubythroat is a small passerine bird belonging to the family Muscicapidae. Closely related to the Siberian rubythroat, it is found across Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent.

Identification

• Males display a slaty brown back, a white forehead and supercilium, and black wings and tail with white bases and tips. - The sides of the male throat and breast are black, while the centre of the chin and throat is scarlet. - The female is a duller brownish grey above with smoky underparts and a whitish centre of the throat. - The male sings a series of squeaky notes with great variation, and the alarm call is a sharp yapping 'skyap'.

Habitat

The species ranges across Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, and Thailand. It inhabits open woodland and scrub, moving to higher altitudes in summer and lower elevations in winter. In the Tien Shan region, it is found in juniper elfin thickets at 2500 to 2700 m.

Diet

The bird feeds mainly on small insects, including beetles and ants. Parents forage close to the nest to provide food for their nestlings.

Did you know?

The Chinese rubythroat has been observed to abandon its nest when a cuckoo lays an egg in it. Nests are typically built by the female as a loose, large ball-like structure with an entrance on the side.