Blue-winged leafbird

Chloropsis cochinchinensis

Photo by C. Balakrishnan (JPG)

Common name:
blue-winged leafbird (en); verdim-d'asa-azul (pt); verdin à tête jaune (fr); verdín aliazul (es); blauflügel-blatvogel (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Chloropseidae

Range:
This species is found from western Indonesia north to Myanmar and Laos, and marginally into southern China, extreme north-eastern India and Bangladesh.

Size:
These birds are 16-18 cm long and weigh 19-28,5 g.

Habitat:
The blue-winged leafbird is mostly found in lowland rainforests, but also use rainforests in mountainous areas, rural gardens and plantations. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.800 m.

Diet:
They feed mainly on insects, but also fruits, berries and nectar.

Breeding:
Blue-winged leafbirds breed in February-July. They nest in an open cup made of fine stems, leaves and rootlets, typically placed on the ends of branches near the tree crown, or sometimes hanging from thin horizontal shoots, or attached to a pair of vertical twigs. The female lays 2-3 cream or pinkish eggs, which she incubates alone for 13-14 days while the male brings her food. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge about 16 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as relatively common throughout much of this range, although scarce in Singapore and rather rare in Java. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction.

Golden-fronted leafbird

Chloropsis aurifrons

Photo by Paul Cullen (Picasa)

Common name:

golden-fronted leafbird (en); verdim-de-testa-dourada (pt); verdin à front d'or (fr); verdín de frente dorado (es); goldstirn-blattvogel (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Chloropseidae

Range:

This Asian species is found from India and Sri Lanka, through Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh, and into southern China, Myanmar, Laos, Singapore and Vietnam. They are also found in the Indonesian island of Sumatra, although some authors consider the local subspecies C. a. media as a separate species.

Size:

The golden-fronted leafbird is 18-19 cm long and weighs up to 45 g.

Habitat:

These birds are found in the canopies of deciduous woodland, evergreen broadleaf forests, forest edges, secondary growth (including bamboo), wooded stands in coffee and tea estates and wooded gardens. They can also be found in dry scrubland. They are present from plain level up to an altitude of 1.800 m.

Diet:

They mostly eat nectar, insects, spiders, and fruits such as guava, berries and figs.

Breeding:

The golden-fronted leafbird breeds in May-August. They nest is a shallow cup made of fine twigs, moss and leaves, which is attached to a thin branch high up in a tree. There the female lays 2-4 pale cream eggs speckled with brown. The eggs are incubated for 14-15 days and the chicks fledge 13 days after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)

This species has a very large breeding range and is described as common to fairly common throughout much of this range. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.