Tickellia hodgsoni
The Broad-billed Warbler, *Tickellia hodgsoni*, is a captivating and distinctive member of the Cettiidae family, renowned for its secretive nature and remarkably loud song. This small passerine, measuring approximately 10-12 cm in length and weighing 6-9g, presents a striking appearance with its olive-green upperparts, bright yellow throat and belly, and pale buffy flanks. A dark loral stripe and often a faint yellowish supercilium frame its dark eye. Its most defining feature, and the source...
Found primarily in the dense undergrowth of montane evergreen and broadleaf forests, often in thick bamboo clumps or fern brakes, at elevations typically ranging from 1,000 to 3,000 meters.
Feeds almost exclusively on small insects and their larvae, which it primarily gleans from foliage and occasionally catches in short aerial sallies.
This highly secretive and elusive warbler is more often heard than seen, frequently skulking in the dense vegetation near the forest floor. It is largely diurnal, foraging alone or in pairs, sometimes joining mixed-species flocks outside the breeding season. Its foraging strategy involves gleanin...
The Broad-billed Warbler is a resident species distributed across the montane regions of the Himalayas and Southeast Asia. Its western range extends through central and eastern Nepal, Bhutan, and into northeast India, specifically Sikkim, northern West Bengal, and Arunachal Pradesh. Further east,...
Least Concern
- The genus *Tickellia* is monotypic, meaning the Broad-billed Warbler is the only species within it, highlighting its unique evolutionary path. - Its scientific name honors Brian Houghton Hodgson, a British naturalist who worked extensively in Nepal. - Despite its small size, its song is remarka...