Pericrocotus divaricatus
The Ashy Minivet (Pericrocotus divaricatus) is a striking passerine bird of the cuckooshrike family, Campephagidae, distinguished by its elegant black-and-white (male) or grey-and-white (female) plumage. Measuring approximately 18.5 to 20 cm in length, it possesses a slender body and a relatively long tail. Males exhibit a crisp ash-grey back, black primaries with a prominent white wing patch, and a distinct black cap extending to the nape, contrasting sharply with pure white underparts. Fema...
Typically found in open woodlands, forest edges, plantations, and urban parks and gardens, often near water bodies, at low to mid-elevations.
Primarily insectivorous, consuming a wide range of insects including beetles, moths, caterpillars, flies, and wasps, often captured on the wing or gleaned from vegetation.
Ashy Minivets are diurnal, highly social birds, especially outside the breeding season, forming large, often mixed-species foraging flocks. They are agile aerial insectivores, frequently seen flycatching with swift, darting maneuvers, but also glean insects from foliage. During the breeding seaso...
The Ashy Minivet has a broad distribution across East and Southeast Asia. Its breeding range encompasses northeastern Asia, including the Russian Far East (Amurland and Ussuriland), the Korean Peninsula, northeast China, and Japan (mainly Hokkaido and Honshu). During the non-breeding season, thes...
Least Concern
- The Ashy Minivet is one of the few minivet species that undertakes long-distance annual migrations, traversing thousands of kilometers across Asia. - Despite its common name, 'minivet' is thought to originate from the French 'minuet,' referring to their small size and delicate, dancing flight. ...