Grey-chinned Minivet

Overview

The grey-chinned minivet is a small passerine bird belonging to the family Campephagidae. It is a least-concern species found in montane forests across Asia, ranging from the Himalayas to Southeast Asia.

Identification

• 17–19 cm long with black eyes, beak and legs.
• Adult male has a dark grey head and mantle, pale grey chin, orange-yellow throat, blackish wings, and orange underparts.
• Adult female resembles the male but has bright yellow instead of orange on the underparts and throat.
• Immature birds resemble females but have yellow-olive bars on the back.

Habitat

Found in montane forests at elevations of 1,000–2,000 m, with records as low as 150 m in Taiwan. It inhabits the canopy of broadleaf, coniferous and elfin forests, as well as secondary forests, forest edges and gardens with trees.

Diet

Forages for invertebrates in the tree canopy, occasionally descending to tree ferns or sallying through the air. It often joins mixed-species foraging flocks and makes twittering calls while feeding.

Did you know?

Courtship involves the male walking toward the female while holding a flower in his beak, swinging his head to touch the female's beak, and dropping the flower before they mate.