| This month's mystery
bird was a real challenge but it is a fact
that we often get fleeting and somewhat
distorted views of a flushed bird. Its always
worth trying to have a go at identifying
such a sighting in case it is something
unusual so that it can be followed up. This
bird certainly would have been worth the
effort! From the proportions it is obviously
a passerine and the colour combination
should quickly focus on the minivet group.
A majority of people did just that but
only a very few got the right species.
Of the eight species well-established
on our list only the Small is widespread
but not exactly common. The Scarlet is
reasonably common in forests and the Long-tailed
is not uncommon as a winter visitor in
the north (it breeds in the Himalaya including
Nepal). The Short-billed is probably overlooked
(I haven't tracked it down yet!) but the
other four are decidely scarce or rare
and all sightings need to be reported.
All the above named species plus the Ashy
and the Grey-chinned have red or orange
outer tail feathers so they can be ruled
out immediately. One of the few very clear
characters in this photo are the white
outer tail feathers. The Ashy has white
in the tail but it is basically a grey
and white bird with a black rear crown
and shawl.
So what we have here is an adult male
White-bellied Minivet, one of India's
most enigmatic birds. It was photographed
by Vijay Cavale near Bangalore which is
at the extreme southern end of its very
limited range.
With care almost all the main id features
can be seen. The red and white rump, the
white wing flashes, the blackish hood.
It is basically a black and white bird
with the only reddish coloration on the
lower rump and the upper breast. As such
it is remarkably similar to a well-marked,
long-tailed Common Stonechat, particularly
one of the northern migrant races. The
female is paler and greyer (rather similar
to an Ashy) but always has orange on the
rump.
The White-bellied Minivet is a bird of
dry, open, low, thorn forest and tends
to feed in pairs at rather low levels
in scrub or lower branches. From recent
reports, it is probably commonest in Rajasthan
and the northern Deccan. There is some
evidence that it moves east and south
to winter and it has been recorded recently
in eastern Haryana and as far east as
eastern Madhya Pradesh. Certainly it tends
to wander around in winter and should
be kept in mind anywhere in the peninsula
north to the Punjab and east to West Bengal.
It really is one of our most striking
birds if seen well. Keep them coming Vijay!
regards Bill |
