Brown-cheeked Fulvetta
Encyclopedia
The Brown-cheeked Fulvetta, Alcippe poioicephala (or Brown-cheeked Alcippe as the fulvetta
s proper are not closely related to this bird), is an Old World babbler
. It was earlier also known as the Quaker Babbler. The Old World babblers are a large family of passerine
bird
s characterised by soft fluffy plumage. These are birds of tropical areas, with the greatest variety in southeast Asia
.
This species is one of those retained in the genus
Alcippe after the true fulvettas and some others were removed; the group had turned out to unite quite unrelated birds. Its closest relatives are probably the Brown Fulvetta
, and the Black-browed Fulvetta
which was only recently recognized as a distinct species again. The Javan Fulvetta
and the Nepal Fulvetta
might also belong into this group.(Pasquet et al. 2006)
The Brown-cheeked Fulvetta is a resident breeding bird in India
and Southeast Asia. Its habitat is undergrowth in moist forests and scrub jungle. This species
, like most babblers, is not migratory
, and has short rounded wings and a weak flight.
This babbler builds its nest in a tree, concealed in dense masses of foliage. The normal clutch is two or three eggs.
Brown-cheeked Fulvetta measures 15 cm including its longish tail. It is brown above and buff, with no patterning on the body or wings. The crown is grey, and the cheeks are dark.
Brown-cheeked Fulvettas have short dark bills. Their food is mainly insects and nectar. They can be difficult to observe in the dense vegetation they prefer, but like other babblers, these are vocal birds, and their characteristic calls are often the best indication that these birds are present.
Clutch size was two to three eggs and the incubation period is 10 +/-2 days and the nestling period is 12+/- 2 days. Hatching success was 55 % while the nestling success was 32 %. The most preferred plants for nesting were shrubs of the species Lasianthus ciliatus (36%) followed by the Saprosma fragrans (27%) and Thottea siliquosa (23%).
They tended to locate their nests at central position just near the main stem. A principal component analysis of the nest site variables showed nest height, concealment, plant height and canopy cover as the major parameters in nest site selection, explaining 73% cumulative variance. Of these the crucial deciding factors were plant height and canopy cover when the nest sites were compared with the random sites (discriminant function analysis
).
Nest success was directly correlated with concealment as it reduces the chance for predation. Nest site selection of this bird thus shows the choice of a particular location for successful nesting, which is a dense evergreen forest with dense shrub cover and without much disturbance.
Fulvetta
Fulvetta is a songbird genus. Originally proposed in 1877, it was recently reestablished for the typical fulvettas, which were long included with their presumed relatives in the Timaliidae genus Alcippe...
s proper are not closely related to this bird), is an Old World babbler
Old World babbler
The Old World babblers or timaliids are a large family of mostly Old World passerine birds. They are rather diverse in size and coloration, but are characterised by soft fluffy plumage. These are birds of tropical areas, with the greatest variety in Southeast Asia and the Indian Subcontinent...
. It was earlier also known as the Quaker Babbler. The Old World babblers are a large family of passerine
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s characterised by soft fluffy plumage. These are birds of tropical areas, with the greatest variety in southeast Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
.
This species is one of those retained in the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Alcippe after the true fulvettas and some others were removed; the group had turned out to unite quite unrelated birds. Its closest relatives are probably the Brown Fulvetta
Brown Fulvetta
The Brown Fulvetta is a species of bird in the Timaliidae family.It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.It is threatened by habitat loss....
, and the Black-browed Fulvetta
Black-browed Fulvetta
The Black-browed Fulvetta, Alcippe grotei, is a 15.5 to 16.5 cm long species of passerine bird in the Old World babbler family. It is found in...
which was only recently recognized as a distinct species again. The Javan Fulvetta
Javan Fulvetta
The Javan Fulvetta is a species of bird in the Timaliidae family. It is endemic to Indonesia.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes.-References:...
and the Nepal Fulvetta
Nepal Fulvetta
The Nepal Fulvetta , Alcippe nipalensis, is a bird species in the Old World babbler family ....
might also belong into this group.(Pasquet et al. 2006)
The Brown-cheeked Fulvetta is a resident breeding bird in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Southeast Asia. Its habitat is undergrowth in moist forests and scrub jungle. This species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
, like most babblers, is not migratory
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
, and has short rounded wings and a weak flight.
This babbler builds its nest in a tree, concealed in dense masses of foliage. The normal clutch is two or three eggs.
Brown-cheeked Fulvetta measures 15 cm including its longish tail. It is brown above and buff, with no patterning on the body or wings. The crown is grey, and the cheeks are dark.
Brown-cheeked Fulvettas have short dark bills. Their food is mainly insects and nectar. They can be difficult to observe in the dense vegetation they prefer, but like other babblers, these are vocal birds, and their characteristic calls are often the best indication that these birds are present.
Nesting
The Brown-cheeked Fulvetta nests from January to June with a peak in January–February. In a study by Anoop Das and Vijayan, a total of 38 nests were found in 50,000 square metres. The nest is a cup, built with green moss, rootlets, lichen, leaves and grass lined with rootlets and placed in a fork or suspended from the twigs at a mean height of 68.21 cm from ground. Mean nest width was 91.8 mm and depth 48.7 mm.Clutch size was two to three eggs and the incubation period is 10 +/-2 days and the nestling period is 12+/- 2 days. Hatching success was 55 % while the nestling success was 32 %. The most preferred plants for nesting were shrubs of the species Lasianthus ciliatus (36%) followed by the Saprosma fragrans (27%) and Thottea siliquosa (23%).
They tended to locate their nests at central position just near the main stem. A principal component analysis of the nest site variables showed nest height, concealment, plant height and canopy cover as the major parameters in nest site selection, explaining 73% cumulative variance. Of these the crucial deciding factors were plant height and canopy cover when the nest sites were compared with the random sites (discriminant function analysis
Discriminant function analysis
Discriminant function analysis is a statistical analysis to predict a categorical dependent variable by one or more continuous or binary independent variables. It is different from an ANOVA or MANOVA, which is used to predict one or multiple continuous dependent variables by one or more...
).
Nest success was directly correlated with concealment as it reduces the chance for predation. Nest site selection of this bird thus shows the choice of a particular location for successful nesting, which is a dense evergreen forest with dense shrub cover and without much disturbance.