Suthora davidiana
The Short-tailed Parrotbill (*Suthora davidiana*) is a petite and agile passerine, a true gem of dense bamboo thickets and scrubland across Southeast Asia. Measuring a mere 11-12 cm (4.3-4.7 inches) in length and weighing around 8-12 grams, it is characterized by its distinctive rufous-brown cap, greyish face adorned with a prominent black supercilium and moustachial stripe, and its unusually short, olive-brown tail. Its upperparts are a dull olive-brown, contrasting with whitish to pale buff...
This species primarily inhabits dense bamboo thickets, secondary growth, and scrubland, often at the edges of forests or clearings, typically at elevations ranging from 300 to 2200 meters.
Their diet primarily consists of small insects, their larvae, and other invertebrates, supplemented significantly by small seeds, particularly those of bamboo, and occasionally small berries.
Short-tailed Parrotbills are highly social birds, typically encountered in small, active flocks of 5-20 individuals, even outside the breeding season, moving cohesively through dense vegetation. Their foraging strategy is acrobatic and diligent; they constantly glean insects, larvae, and seeds fr...
The Short-tailed Parrotbill is a resident species distributed across a significant portion of mainland Southeast Asia and southern China. Its breeding and year-round range extends throughout southern and central China (specifically in provinces such as Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Hunan, Gu...
Least Concern
- The Short-tailed Parrotbill gets its name from its remarkably stubby tail, which is notably shorter than that of most other parrotbill species, aiding in its agile movement through dense bamboo. - Despite its small size, this species is incredibly active, rarely sitting still, making it a chall...