Yellow-rumped flowerpecker

Prionochilus xanthopygius

Photo by James Eaton (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
yellow-rumped flowerpecker (en); pica-flores-de-uropígio-amarelo (pt); dicée à croupion jaune (fr); picaflores culigualdo (es); gelbbürzel-mistelfresser (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Dicaeidae

Range:
This species is only found in northern Borneo and in North Natuna island in the Riau Islands.

Size:
These birds are 9 cm long and weigh 6,5-8,5 g.

Habitat:
The yellow-rumped flowerpecker is found in moist tropical forests and swamp forests, namely
dipterocarp forest, peatswamp forest, heath and secondary forests, and forest edges. They also use plantations and rural gardens. This species occurs from sea level up to an altitude of 1.760 m.

Diet:
They forage in the lower levels of the forest, taking flowers, pollen, stamens, nectar, ripe fruit pulp and buds of plants such as Eugenia sp., Lantana sp., Psidium sp. and Trema orientalis. They also hunt small beetles and spiders.

Breeding:These birds breed in February-August. The eggs are reddish-white with red and grey to purple markings. There is no further information about the reproduction of the yellow-rumped flowerpecker.

Conservation:IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a large breeding range and is described as common and widespread in Borneo. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Pale-billed flowerpecker

Dicaeum erythrorhynchos

Photo by Rakesh Dhareshwar (Birding in India)

Common name:
pale-billed flowerpecker (en); pica-flores-de-bico-vermelho (pt); dicée à bec rouge (fr); picaflores piquirrojo (es); lachsschnabel-mistelfresser (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Dicaeidae

Range:
This species is found in Nepal and most of India, with the exception of the north-westernmost parts of the country, and also in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and western Myanmar.

Size:
These tiny birds are 8 cm long and weigh 4-8 g.

Habitat:
The pale-billed flowerpecker is found in moist tropical forests, mangroves, plantations and also in rural gardens and within urban areas. They are highly dependent on the presence of Loranthus mistletoes.

Diet:
They feed on the berries and seeds of epiphytic plants such as Loranthus, Viscum and Muntingia. They also sip nectar from flowers.

Breeding:
Pale-billed flowerpeckers breed in February-June. The nest is a pear-shaped structure made of spider webs, plant fibres, moss and pieces of bark and rotten wood. It is suspended from the tip of a twig, 3-7 m above the ground. The female lays 1-3 white eggs. There is no information regarding the incubation and fledgling periods.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as common in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, not uncommon in Myanmar and locally abundant in India. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

White-throated flowerpecker

Dicaeum vincens

Photo by John Thompson (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
white-throated flowerpecker (en); pica-flores-do-Ceilão (pt); dicée de Ceylan (fr); picaflores cingalés (es); Sri Lanka-blomsterpikker (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Dicaeidae

Range:
This species is endemic to Sri Lanka, where it is confined to the wet zone in the south-western part of the island.

Size:
These birds are 10 cm long and weigh 8-10 g.

Habitat:
The white-throated flowerpecker is found in rainforests from sea level up to an altitude of 2.300 m, being more abundant in lowland forests up to an altitude of 900 m. They can also wander of to secondary habitats bordering rainforests.

Diet:
They feed mostly on nectar, but also eat berries, spiders and insects.

Breeding:
White-throated flowerpeckers nest in a purse-like nest suspended from a tree, where the female lays 2 eggs. There is no information regarding the incubation and fledgling periods.

Conservation:
IUCN status - NT (Near-Threatened)
This species has a relatively large breeding range and is described as common at lower altitudes. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction, through the extensive clearance and degradation of forests, particularly in the wet zone, by logging, fuel wood collection, conversion to agriculture and tree plantations, gem mining, settlement and fire. Some protected forests continue to be degraded and suffer further fragmentation.

Thick-billed flowerpecker

Dicaeum agile

Photo by Umang Dutt (Flickr)

Common name:
thick-billed flowerpecker (en); pica-flores-de-bico-grosso (pt); dicée à bec épais (fr); picaflores picogrueso (es); dickschnabel-mistelfresser (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Dicaeidae

Range:
This species is found in southern Asia, in several disjunct populations. The subspecies D. a. agile is found across most of India, in northern Pakistan and Nepal. The subspecies D. a. modestum is found from eastern Bangladesh and Myanmar to Vietnam and southern Thailand and there are another 11 isolated subspecies spread across Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia and East Timor.

Size:
These birds are 10-12 cm long and weigh around 9 g.

Habitat:
The thick-billed flowerpecker is mostly found in moist tropical and sub-tropical forests and scrublands, but also in some dry forests and plantations.

Diet:
They mainly feed on berries, fruits and nectar, but will also take some insects and spiders.

Breeding:
Thick-billed flowerpeckers breed in December-June. The nest is a purse-like bag, made of plant fibres, spider webs and plant down, placed hanging from a thin horizontal branch of a tree, 3-15 m above the ground. The nest is often placed near ant nests, possibly for protection. The female lays 2-4 rosy-white or pink eggs with brownish spots, which are incubated for around 13 days. The chicks fledge about 18 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status -  LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is reported to be rare to not uncommon. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Cebu flowerpecker

Dicaeum quadricolor

Photo by Tomasz Cofta (Y101FM)

Common name:
Cebu flowerpecker (en); pica-flores-de-Cebu (pt); dicée quadricolore (fr); picaflores de Cebú (es); vierfarben-mistelfresser (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Dicaeidae


Range:
This species is endemic to the island of Cebu in the Philippines.


Size:
These birds are 11-12 cm long.


Habitat:
They are mostly found on the tallest remaining patches of native rainforest, being strongly associated to karst limestone soils. They may use areas of disturbed or selectively logged forest, but only when these occur next to a larger patch of native vegetation.


Diet:
Cebu flowerpeckers are frugivorous. They forage in the forest canopy, where they mostly eat the berries and fruits of Ficus and mistletoe-like plants such as Loranthus.


Breeding:
These birds are suspected to breed in February-August, but nothing else is known about their reproductive biology.


Conservation:
IUCN status - CR (Critically Endangered)
This species has an extremely small and fragmented breeding range and the global population is estimated at just 85-105 individuals. The Cebu flowerpecker was feared to have become extinct during the 20th century, because all the island's forest were thought to have been cleared. However, it was rediscovered in 1992. The population is now believed to be stable, or declining very slowly, as the remaining patches of forests are located in areas where they are not likely to be cleared. Still, the risk of habitat destruction due to illegal settlement, road construction, shifting cultivation, illicit logging, charcoal making, firewood collection and habitat clearance for mining; the interspecific competition with red-striped flowerpecker Dicaeum australe; and the inevitable risk of stochastic events that may eliminate such a small population make this one of the most endangered bird species in the World.

Orange-bellied flowerpecker

Dicaeum trigonostigma

Photo by Lip Yap (Wikipedia)

Common name:

orange-bellied flowerpecker (en); pica-flores-de-ventre-laranja (pt); dicée à ventre orange (fr); picaflores ventrinaranja (es); orangebauch-mistelfresser (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Dicaeidae

Range:

This Asian species is found in Bangladesh, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.

Size:

These tinny birds are 7,5-9 cm long and weigh 7-8 g.

Habitat:

They are found in sub-tropical and tropical moist lowland forests, mangrove forests, and moist mountain forests. They are usually prefer the forest interior but are also found in disturbed forest edges and even cultivated land.

Diet:

Orange-bellied flowerpeckers mostly eat small figs, berries and also mistletoe fruits. They sometimes also eat nectar.

Breeding:

These birds are monogamous. Both the males and the females collaborate in constructing the nest, a cup made of vegetable material, dried flowers, lichen, feathers, grass, or small roots, held together with cobwebs. The female lays 1-4 white eggs with spots, which are incubated by both sexes for about 15 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge around 15 days after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

The orange-bellied flowerpecker has a very large breeding range and, although the global population size has not been quantified, this species is described as common to locally common, although rare in Myanmar. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Mistletoebird

Dicaeum hirundinaceum

Photo by Duncan McCaskill (Wikipedia)

Common name:

mistletoebird (en); pica-flores-de-peito-vermelho (pt); dicée hirondelle (fr); picaflores golondrina (es); Rotsteiß-mistelfresser(de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Dicaeidae

Range:

This species is found throughout mainland Australia, and also in Papua New Guinea and the archipelagos of Watubela, Aru and Tanimbar in eastern Indonesia.

Size:

These birds are 9-11 cm long. They weigh 7,5-11 g.

Habitat:

The mistletoebird is found in any habitat that supports mistletoes, including various forested habitats, savannas and scrublands.

Diet:

They mostly eat the berries of mistletoes, namely of the grey mistletoe Amyema quandang with which they have a mutualistic relationship. Their diet also includes nectar, pollen, spiders and insects.

Breeding:

Mistletoebirds breed in September-March. The female builds the nest with no help from the male. The nest is made of crushed plants and spider webs, which holds it together and holds it to the tree. There she lays 3 eggs which she incubates alone for 12 days. Both sexes feed the young in the nest until fledging, which takes place 15 days after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

Although the population size is yet to be quantified, the species is described as common throughout its very large breeding range. With no evidence for any declines or substantial threats, the mistletoebird is not threatened at present.