Wildlifeof Vietnam
Red-billed Leiothrix
Babblers, Laughingthrushes & White-eyes
Photo: (c) Subir B. Shakya, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY
Leiothrix lutea
Rare visitor: recorded only occasionally in this country
Basic stats
Diet
Insects (including flies, moths and wasps), spiders, millipedes, molluscs, fruit and seeds
Habitat
Forages in lower strata below 3m; nests April–June within 3m of the ground; in Bhutan breeds at 1,800–3,400m and winters at 600–2,800m
Range
Southern and eastern China, and west along the Himalaya in northern India, Bhutan, Nepal, Burma and parts of Tibet
Size
14–15.5cm
The red-billed leiothrix is a member of the family Leiothrichidae native to southern China and the Himalayas, 14 to 15.5cm long. Adults have bright red bills and a yellowish-white eye ring, a dull olive-green back and a bright yellow-orange throat; the wing edges are marked yellow, orange, red and black, and the cheeks and neck sides are bluish grey. Juveniles have black bills (Wikipedia, general species account).
It is generally resident, but in Bhutan some altitudinal migration is recorded, with birds breeding at 1,800 to 3,400m in summer and descending to 600 to 2,800m in winter. Food is gathered from foliage and dead wood, mostly below 3m. Outside the breeding season it is found in groups of about 10 to 30; in the breeding season they pair off and become territorial. Its song is short, powerful notes repeated continuously.
Quick answers
- What does the Red-billed Leiothrix eat?
- Insects (including flies, moths and wasps), spiders, millipedes, molluscs, fruit and seeds
- What habitat does the Red-billed Leiothrix live in?
- Forages in lower strata below 3m; nests April–June within 3m of the ground; in Bhutan breeds at 1,800–3,400m and winters at 600–2,800m
- Where is the Red-billed Leiothrix found?
- Southern and eastern China, and west along the Himalaya in northern India, Bhutan, Nepal, Burma and parts of Tibet
- How big is the Red-billed Leiothrix?
- 14–15.5cm