The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma/Birds/Order Passeres/Family Paradoxornithidæ/Genus Paradoxornis

by Edward Charles Stuart Baker

Genus PARADOXORNIS Gould, 1836.

The genus Paradoxornis, as restricted by Oates, contains only three species, two of which are found in India and Burma and a third heudei in Eastern China. Paradoxornis differs from Conostoma in having the feathers of the tail more graduated and the bill shorter and much deeper. The cutting-edge of the upper mandible has a deep sigmoid curve with a corresponding sinuation in the lower. The plumage is very lax and full, the wing short and rounded, the 4th, 5th, and 6th quills being subequal.

Key to Species.

A.

Throat barred black and white, bordered below with a black band ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

P. flavirostris, p. 105.

B.

Throat pale fulvous with black arrow-head markings and no band ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

P. guttaticollis, p. 106.

Fig. 22.—Head of P. flavirostris.

(90) Paradoxornis flavirostris.

Gould's Parrot-Bill.

Paradoxornis flavirostris Gould, P. Z. S., iv, p. 17 (1836) (Nepal); Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 62.

Vernacular names. Dao mougasha gadeba (Cachari); But-but Sorai (Plains Miri).

Description. Forehead, nape, sides of neck and hinder parts of ear-coverts dull chestnut; lores black; feathers round the eye and a patch under it white, the bases of the feathers more or less black; anterior two-thirds of ear-coverts and the point of the chin black; cheeks and chin white barred with black; throat black; upper plumage fulvous-brown, rufous on the tail and visible portion of wings; lower plumage fulvous.

Colours of soft parts. Iris deep red or red-brown; bill wax-yellow to briglit yellow; legs clear slate or plumbeous grey.

Measurements. Length about 180mm.; wing about 85 to 90mm.; tail about 100 to 110 mm.; tarsus about 30 mm.; culmen about 12 mm.

Distribution. From Nepal to the Chin Hills and the hills south of the Brahmaputra from the foothills up to 5,000 or even 7,000 feet.

Nidification. This Parrot-Bill breeds in April and May and the early part of June, making a very compact, deep nest of soft grasses, a few shreds of bamboo-leaves and the bark of reeds, well coated over with cobwebs and lined with fine grass-stems. It is placed either in reeds, bamboo clumps or in bushes, low down and generally well concealed but sometimes quite exposed. The eggs are normally only two in number, sometimes three. They are pure white in ground-colour, very sparsely speckled and spotted with tiny pinky-brown marks. Occasionally eggs are found which are more like those of Psittiparus, but such are very rare. Thirty-five eggs average 21·9 × 16·2 mm.

Habits. Gould's Parrot-Bill is found from the level of the plains of North Assam up to 7,500 feet in the Naga Hills, at which elevation Col. Tytler repeatedly took its nest. It is a shy, retiring bird, the flocks in the cold weather slailking about in grass and reeds, climbing with considerable agility but very loath to fly and then usually only fluttering away into thicker cover a few yards distant. When unaware that they are being watched they are in the habit of fluttering a few feet into the air above the reeds or bushes uttering a loud chirrup as they rise. They have the same bleating or mewing cry which seems to be common to the family. Although principally insect-feeders they also eat seeds and berries. Stevens refers to the curious snapping sounds made by these birds with their bills when feeding.

(91) Paradoxornis guttaticollis.

Austen's Parrot-Bill.

Paradoxornis guttaticollis David, Nouv. Arch. Mus., vii, p. 14 (1871) (Szechuen, W. China); Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 62.

Vernacular names. Dao mougasha gadeba (Cachari).

Description. Differs from flavirostris in having the cheeks, chin, throat and upper part of the breast pale fulvous white, with numerous delicate arrowhead-shaped marks of black, and the remainder of the lower plumage of the same colour but without the marks; the head and crest of a paler chestnut; the bill about half the size and the legs much feebler.

Colours of soft parts. Iris brown to red-brown; bill wax-yellow; legs and feet slaty-grey or plumbeous tinted with blue or green; "legs and claws green" (Cockburn).

Measurements. Rather smaller than the last; tail about 100 mm.; wing 80 to 85 mm.; culmen about 8 to 9 mm.; tarsus about 26 mm.

Distribution. Hills south of Brahmaputra, N. Lakhimpur, hills of N. Burma, Shan States into western China.

Nidification. Similar to that of the last bird but probably never breeds below 3,000 feet and seldom under 4,000 feet. The eggs also are indistinguishable and the average of 34 is 22·2 × 16·4 mm.

Habits. The same as those of flavirostris, but whereas that bird is most comnon at low levels this is found at much higher levels and never, so far as has been recorded, in the plains or foot-hills.