A blog dedicated to the thousands of bird species that fly, swim or walk on our planet.

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Taiwan yuhina

Yuhina brunneiceps

Photo by Robert Tec (Wikipedia)

Common name:
Taiwan yuhina (en); iuína-da-Formosa (pt); yuhina de Taiwan (fr); yuhina de Formosa (es);
braunkopfyuhina (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Timaliidae

Range:
This species is endemic to Taiwan, being mostly found on the eastern side of the island.

Size:
These birds are 12-13 cm long and weigh 10-13 g.

Habitat:
The Taiwan yuhina is found in temperate and tropical moist forests, including broad-leaved and mixed broad-leaved and coniferous forests at altitudes of 1.000-3.000 m.

Diet:
They feed mostly on the nectar of Magnoliaceae, Elaeagnaceae and Salicaceae, also eating fruits, berries and flowers, and also some small insects.

Breeding:
Taiwan yuhinas breed in March-September. They are cooperative breeders, forming groups of 2-8 individuals, all of which help raise the chicks and defend the territory. The nest is bowl-shaped and made of moss, ferns, silver grass and roots, being fixed to a tree branch with spider webs. It is lined with ferns. The female lays 4-8 light green or blue eggs with yellowish-brown markings, which are incubated for 12-16 days. the chicks fledge 10-14 days after hatching. Each group may raise up to 3 broods per season.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a relatively large breeding range and a global population estimated at 100.000-1.000.000 individuals. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction and fragmentation, but it is not considered threatened at present.

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