Malia

Malia grata

Photo by Rob Hutchinson (Oriental Bird Images)

Common name:
malia (en); malia (pt); malia des Célèbes (fr); timalí malia (es); mooswaldtimalie (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Timaliidae

Range:
This species indemic to the island of Sulawesi, in Indonesia, being restricted to the mountain forests located inland.

Size:
These birds are 28-29 cm long.

Habitat:
The malia is only found in primary mountain rainforests, at altitudes of 900-2.400 m.

Diet:
They forage in small groups, often together with other species, searching for invertebrates, particularly beetles and grasshoppers, among rotten wood, dislodge moss and loose bark.

Breeding:
There is no available information on the reproduction of the malia.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a relatively large but restricted breeding range. Although the global population size has not been quantified, the malia is described as widespread and locally moderately common. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction and fragmentation, but it is not considered threatened at present.

Musk lorikeet

Glossopsitta concinna

Photo by Doug Janson (Wikipedia)

Common name:
musk lorikeet (en); lóri-almiscarado (pt); lori à bandeau rouge (fr); lori almizclero (es); moschuslori (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Psittaciformes
Family Psittacidae

Range:
This species is endemic to south-eastern Australia, being found from south-eastern Queensland to Victoria and south-eastern South Australia. It also occurs in Tasmania.

Size:
These birds are 20-23 cm long and weigh 50-90 g.

Habitat:
The musk lorikeet is found in open Eucalyptus woodlands, riverine woodlands, plantations, and rural and sub-urban gardens.

Diet:
They feed on nectar, pollen and blossoms, especially of Eucalyptus, flowers, young shoots and buds such as those of Callistemon citrinus and Grevillea, small fruits and occasionally insects. They may also take cultivated crops and grapes.

Breeding:
Musk lorikeets breed in August-January. They nest in a hollow limb or hole in a tree, lined with chewed or decayed wood, and usually located high up in an Eucalyptus near water. The female lays 2 white eggs, which she incubates alone for 22-24 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge about 50 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a large breeding range and the global population is estimated above 100.000 individuals and described as very common. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Siffling cisticola

Cisticola brachypterus

Photo by David Beadle (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
siffling cisticola (en); fuinha-de-asa-curta (pt); cisticole à ailes courtes (fr); cistícola alicorto (es); kurzflügel-zistensänger (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Cisticolidae

Range:
This species is found in sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal to Ethiopia and south to Angola, Zambia and southern Mozambique. They are mostly absent from the Congo river basin.

Size:
These birds are 10-11 cm long and weigh 6-11 g.

Habitat:
The siffling cisticola is mostly found in dry savannas and woodlands, particularly miombo Brachystegia, but also uses scrublands, moist tropical forests, vegetation along drainage lines and marshes, and edges of cultivated areas.

Diet:
They forage on the ground or in grass tufts, mainly taking insects such as termites, grasshoppers, beetles and bugs.

Breeding:
Siffling cisticolas breed in November-April. The nest is a compact sphere with a side entrance, made of dry grass and leaves reinforced with spider webs. It is typically placed very near the ground in a grass tuft or small scrub. The female lays 2-4 eggs, which she incubates alone for about 14 days. the chicks fledge about 17 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and, although the global population size has not been quantified, it is described as locally common. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Chestnut-breasted malkoha

Phaenicophaeus curvirostris

Photo by Lip Kee Yap (Wikipedia)

Common name:
chestnut-breasted malkoha (en); malcoa-de-peito-castanho (pt); malcoha rouverdin (fr); malcoha pechicastaño (es); schimmerkuckuck (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Cuculiformes
Family Cuculidae

Range:
This species is found from southern Thailand and Myanmar, through peninsular Malaysia and into Borneo, Sumatra, Java and Bali in Indonesia, and Palawan in the Philippines.

Size:
These birds are 42-49 cm long and weigh about 120 g.

Habitat:
The chestnut-breasted malkoha is found in moist tropical forests, mangroves, dry tropical scrublands, second growths, rural gardens and plantations. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.100 m.

Diet:
They feed on insects, including caterpillars, grasshoppers, crickets, cicadas, beetles, cockroaches, stick insects, mantids and bugs, as well as spiders, small crabs, and small vertebrates such as lizards, frogs and young birds.

Breeding:
Unlike most cuckoos, chestnut-breasted malkohas raise their own young. They can breed all year round, varying between different parts of their range. The nest is built by both sexes, consisting of a large bowl made of branches and twigs lined with leaves. The female lays 2-3 matte white eggs which are incubated by both parents for about 13 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge around 11 days after hatching.

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

Striolated tit-spinetail

Leptasthenura striolata

Photo by Eduardo Patrial (Flickr)

Common name:
striolated tit-spinetail (en); grimpeirinho (pt); synallaxe striolé (fr); tijeral brasileño (es); Isabellstreifen-meisenschlüpfer (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Furnariidae

Range:
This species is endemic to southern Brazil, being found from Paraná to Rio Grande do Sul.

Size:
These birds are 13-16 cm long and weigh 10-11 g.

Habitat:
The striolated tit-spinetail is mostly found in temperate forests, particularly in stands of conifers such as Araucaria angustifolia and Podocarpus sp., but also uses scrublands. They are present at altitudes of 500-1.200 m.

Diet:
They feed on insects and other arthropods.

Breeding:
These birds breed in cavities, either excavating holes in soft wood or using natural tree cavities, abandoned nests of woodpeckers and other birds or even in other hollow structures such as cattle skulls. The nest is usually 1-6 m above the ground. The female possibly lays a single egg. There is no information regarding the length of the incubation and fledgling periods, but chicks are known to be fed by both parents.

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

Fire-tufted barbet

Psilopogon pyrolophus

Photo by Rosmadi Hassan (Wings Among Us)

Common name:
fire-tufted barbet (en); barbudo-de-coleira (pt); barbu à collier (fr); barbudo picofuego (es); rotbüschel-bartvogel (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Piciformes
Family Capitonidae

Range:
This species is found in de Indonesian island of Sumatra and in the Malay Peninsula in Malaysia and marginally into Thailand.

Size:
These birds are 30 cm long and weigh 115-140 g.

Habitat:
The fire-tufted barbet is found in moist tropical forests at altitudes of 400-2.000 m.

Diet:
They feed mainly on fruits, particularly figs, but also take some insects.

Breeding:
Fire-tufted barbets breed in February-May. They nest in a hole excavated by both sexes on a dead tree trunk or branch. The female lays 2-4 eggs which are incubated for 13-15 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge about 40 days after hatching, but continue to receive food for the parents for at least another week.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
this species has a large breeding range and is reported to be uncommon to locally common. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction within its range.

Long-tailed tit

Aegithalos caudatus

Photo by Chris Romeiks (Vogelart)

Common name:
long-tailed tit (en); chapim-rabilongo (pt); mésange à longue queue (fr); mito común (es); schwanzmeise (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Aegithalidae

Range:
The long-tailed tit is found across most of Europe and, through Turkey and the Ukraine, into the Caucasus and northern Iran, and along the middle latitudes of central Asia through southern Russia, northern Kazakhstan and northern Mongolia into north-eastern and central China, Korea and Japan.

Size:
These birds are 13-16 cm long, including a 6-10 cm long tail. They have a wingspan of 16-19 cm and weigh 7-10 g.

Habitat:
The long-tailed tit is mostly found in temperate, deciduous and mixed forests, but also uses a range of other habitats such as boreal forests, scrublands, marshes and bogs, pastures, arable land, rural gardens and even urban areas.

Diet:
They are mainly insectivorous, taking the eggs and larvae of butterflies and moths but also other small insects that are gleaned from the foliage. During autumn and winter they also take seeds and other vegetable matter.

Breeding:
Long-tailed tits breed in February-June. They are monogamous and nest in an elaborate sphere made of moss, hair, lichens, spider webs and feathers, placed in a fork in a tree or scrub 1,5-15 m above the ground. The female lays 7-12 whitish eggs with reddish-brown spots, which she incubates alone for 12-21 days while the male brings her food. The chicks are fed by both parents and often helpers, fledging 14-19 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has an extremely large breeding range and the global population is estimated at 30,6-144 million individuals. The population is suspected to be fluctuating owing to the effects of severe winters and recorded range expansions and regional declines in recent decades. Data from 21 European countries shows a moderate decline over the last 3 decades.