Orange-bellied Leafbird
Encyclopedia
The Orange-Bellied Leafbird, Chloropsis hardwickii, is a bird
native to the eastern Himalayas
and south China
to the Malay Peninsula
. It is brightly colored with an orange belly, a green back, a blue tail and flight feathers, and a black and blue patch over its throat and chest. It has a long, curved beak. It feeds on insect
s, spider
s and nectar. Orange-bellied leafbirds make their nest
s from roots and fibers which are suspended from the edges of twigs at the end of a tree branch. They do not migrate
.
The scientific name commemorates the English naturalist
Thomas Hardwicke
.
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...
native to the eastern Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
and south China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
to the Malay Peninsula
Malay Peninsula
The Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula is a peninsula in Southeast Asia. The land mass runs approximately north-south and, at its terminus, is the southern-most point of the Asian mainland...
. It is brightly colored with an orange belly, a green back, a blue tail and flight feathers, and a black and blue patch over its throat and chest. It has a long, curved beak. It feeds on insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s, spider
Spider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
s and nectar. Orange-bellied leafbirds make their nest
Bird nest
A bird nest is the spot in which a bird lays and incubates its eggs and raises its young. Although the term popularly refers to a specific structure made by the bird itself—such as the grassy cup nest of the American Robin or Eurasian Blackbird, or the elaborately woven hanging nest of the...
s from roots and fibers which are suspended from the edges of twigs at the end of a tree branch. They do not migrate
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...
.
The scientific name commemorates the English naturalist
Naturalist
Naturalist may refer to:* Practitioner of natural history* Conservationist* Advocate of naturalism * Naturalist , autobiography-See also:* The American Naturalist, periodical* Naturalism...
Thomas Hardwicke
Thomas Hardwicke
Major-General Thomas Hardwicke was an English soldier and naturalist who was resident in India from 1777 to 1823. After returning to England he collaborated with John Edward Gray in the publication of Illustrations of Indian Zoology .At the age of 22, he joined the East India Company...
.