Philepitta castanea
The Velvet Asity (Philepitta castanea) is a strikingly sexually dimorphic passerine endemic to the humid forests of eastern and northern Madagascar, renowned for the male's spectacular breeding plumage. Males in breeding condition boast velvety black plumage with brilliant, fleshy green and blue wattles or caruncles around the eyes, contrasting sharply with a bright yellow or pale green bill and bright green legs. Females, by contrast, are cryptically colored, exhibiting dull olive-green uppe...
The Velvet Asity inhabits humid evergreen forests, particularly mid-elevation primary rainforests, often at altitudes between 500-1600 meters, though occasionally found from sea level up to 1800 meters.
Primarily insectivorous, gleaning arthropods from foliage and bark, supplemented significantly by fruits, especially figs (*Ficus* species), and occasionally nectar.
Velvet Asities are diurnal and generally solitary or found in pairs, though they may occasionally join mixed-species foraging flocks. Males exhibit striking courtship displays, involving vocalizations, head-bobbing, and the prominent display of their vibrant eye wattles to attract females, often ...
The Velvet Asity is endemic to Madagascar, with its primary distribution encompassing the humid evergreen forests along the eastern and northern parts of the island. Its range extends from the Marojejy and Masoala peninsulas in the north, southwards through the central eastern rainforest belt to ...
Least Concern
- The male Velvet Asity undergoes one of the most dramatic seasonal plumage changes among passerines, transforming from a drab, female-like non-breeding plumage to its spectacular velvet black and vibrant wattle display during the breeding season. - The fleshy, bright green and blue wattles aroun...