Silver-breasted Broadbill

The silver-breasted broadbill is a small, compact broadbill about 12 cm long, with a broad bill, large head and short tail. Adults have a silvery-white breast and belly, warm chestnut head and upperparts, black wings patterned with blue and white, and a pale bill. Males show a complete white collar around the neck, whereas the female's collar is interrupted. The clean silver underparts and contrasting dark wings distinguish it from Vietnam's larger, more richly coloured broadbills (BirdForum species account).

It ranges from the Himalayan foothills and southern China through Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam to the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra. Birds inhabit broadleaved evergreen and semi-evergreen forest, mainly from middle elevations into montane country. They search foliage and branches for grasshoppers, mantises, caterpillars, beetle larvae and other insects, and also take small land snails. The species is often encountered in pairs or small parties moving through the middle forest storey (Wikipedia, general species account; BirdForum species account).