Liocichla bugunorum
The Bugun Liocichla, *Liocichla bugunorum*, is a vibrantly plumaged medium-sized babbler, measuring approximately 22 cm (8.7 inches) in length, renowned for its striking appearance and extreme rarity. Its most distinctive features include a black cap, a prominent golden-yellow lore and eye-ring contrasting with a small white crescent below the eye, and a brilliant orange-red patch on its otherwise black wings. The underparts are a dull grey, transitioning to olive-grey on the back, while the ...
This species inhabits dense temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, particularly favoring thick undergrowth, bamboo thickets, and open shrubby areas along forest edges. It typically occurs at mid to high elevations, ranging from 2000 to 3500 meters.
Primarily insectivorous, feeding on various invertebrates such as caterpillars, beetles, and other insects, supplemented with wild berries and small fruits. It forages by gleaning from dense foliage and branches within the undergrowth.
The Bugun Liocichla is a diurnal and often secretive bird, typically observed foraging in pairs or small family groups within the dense forest understory. It is primarily insectivorous, gleaning invertebrates from foliage and branches, but also supplements its diet with wild berries and small fru...
The Bugun Liocichla possesses an exceptionally restricted geographic distribution, known definitively only from a small area within the Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal Pradesh, Northeast India. This tiny breeding and resident range encompasses temperate broadleaf and mixed forests at el...
Critically Endangered
- The Bugun Liocichla was only formally described in 2006, making it one of the most recently discovered bird species. - It was first spotted in 1995 by an astronomer, Ramana Athreya, in the Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary in India. - The species is named after the Bugun tribe of Arunachal Pradesh, ...