Pericrocotus cantonensis
The Swinhoe's Minivet (*Pericrocotus cantonensis*) is a subtly beautiful passerine belonging to the Cuckooshrike family (Campephagidae), typically measuring 17-20 cm in length and weighing approximately 18-28 grams. Unlike many of its more flamboyantly colored relatives, this species presents a more subdued plumage, often described as a 'drab' minivet. Males exhibit olive-yellow underparts, a grey head and back, and blackish wings marked by a prominent yellow patch, while females are striking...
Found primarily in deciduous and evergreen broadleaf forests, woodlands, and open country with scattered trees, favoring lower to mid-elevations.
Primarily insectivorous, feeding on a wide variety of arthropods such as beetles, moths, caterpillars, and spiders, occasionally supplementing with small berries or fruits.
Swinhoe's Minivets are highly active, diurnal birds, spending the majority of their time foraging high in the forest canopy. They are expert arboreal insectivores, frequently observed sallying out from perches to snatch insects in flight or gleaning them from foliage and bark surfaces. Outside th...
The Swinhoe's Minivet is a truly migratory species, with its primary breeding grounds located across central and eastern China, extending from Sichuan and Yunnan provinces eastward to the coastal regions and northward into parts of the Korean Peninsula. Following the breeding season, these minive...
Least Concern
- Named after Robert Swinhoe, a prominent British naturalist and diplomat who contributed significantly to the study of East Asian fauna in the 19th century. - Unlike most species in the Minivet genus, where males display vibrant red or orange and females are bright yellow, both sexes of Swinhoe'...