Suthora fulvifrons
The Fulvous Parrotbill (Suthora fulvifrons) is a diminutive and often elusive songbird, measuring a mere 11-13 cm (4.3-5.1 inches) in length and weighing just 8-11 grams. Its most distinctive feature is its warm, tawny-orange to rufous-brown crown and forehead, contrasting sharply with a prominent black supercilium (eyebrow) and submoustachial stripe. The upperparts are generally olive-brown, while the underparts are whitish, often with buffy flanks, and it possesses a relatively long, gradua...
Found primarily in dense bamboo thickets, scrub, and undergrowth within temperate broadleaf and mixed evergreen forests, typically at elevations between 1800-3600 meters.
Primarily insectivorous, feeding on small caterpillars, beetles, spiders, and other invertebrates, supplemented occasionally with seeds and bamboo shoots. They forage by gleaning from vegetation.
Fulvous Parrotbills are diurnal and generally gregarious, often found in small, active flocks of 5-15 individuals, and frequently participate in mixed-species foraging flocks, particularly in winter. They forage deliberately and somewhat sluggishly, gleaning small insects, caterpillars, and spide...
The Fulvous Parrotbill has a discontinuous but extensive distribution across the Himalayan range and parts of Southeast Asia. Its breeding range spans from central Nepal eastward through Bhutan, Arunachal Pradesh (India), northern Myanmar, and into southwestern and central China (Yunnan, Sichuan,...
Least Concern
- The 'fulvous' in its name refers to its distinctive tawny-orange to rufous-brown crown, a key identification feature. - Despite its small size, weighing less than a standard AA battery, it navigates dense high-altitude forests with ease. - Fulvous Parrotbills are often found as key members of m...