The Himalayan rubythroat (Calliope pectoralis) is a species of passerine bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is closely related to the Siberian rubythroat which however lacks the distinctive white tail-tips and white tail bases. It was also previously considered conspecific with the Chinese rubythroat, together called the white-tailed rubythroat. It is found along the Himalayan ranges from Afghanistan to Myanmar. Three subspecies are recognized across its wide range.
The first formal description of the Himalayan rubythroat was by the English ornithologist and bird artist John Gould in 1837. He coined the binomial nameCalliope pectoralis.[2][3] The species was given the English name "white-tailed rubythroat" and moved to the genus Luscinia. A large molecular phylogenetic study published in 2010 found that the genus Luscinia was not monophyletic. The genus was therefore split and several species including the white-tailed rubythroat were moved to the reinstated genus Calliope.[4][5] Another study published in 2016 compared the mitochondrial DNA, vocalization and morphology of several Calliope pectoralis subspecies. Based on their results the authors recommended that C. p. tschebaiewi be promoted to species rank with the English name Chinese rubythroat. At the same time the English name "white-tailed rubythroat" was changed to Himalayan rubythroat.[5][6]
The male is slaty brown above with a white forehead and supercilium. The wings are brownish and the tail is blackish with white base and tips. The sides of the throat and breast are black and the centre of the chin and throat is scarlet. Each of the black feathers on the breast is narrowly fringed with grey.[7] The belly and vent are white. The female is dull, brownish grey above with a diffuse supercilium and smoky underparts. The centre of the throat is whitish and a short whitish moustachial stripe is present in the eastern populations.[7]
The subspecies found in Afghanistan and the Tien Shans, ballioni, has the male paler than the nominate subspecies of the western Himalayas. In the central and eastern Himalayas of Sikkim and Bhutan, confusa, is similar but has the male blacker above with a more prominent white forehead. It has a face pattern that resembles that of the Siberian rubythroat and a strong white submoustachial streak. The thin supercila over the eyes do not meet at the forehead. Being rather distinctive and possibly closer to the Siberian rubythroat, the taxonomy and placement of this population as well as the overall treatment of this species pair has been questioned.[8][9][10][11][12]
Distribution and habitatedit
It is found in Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent, ranging across Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Kazakhstan, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The move up north and into higher altitudes in summer and move into lower elevations to the south in winter. Subspecies ballioni is found in the western and northern part of its range while the nominate population occurs along the western and central Himalayas in India. Subspecies confusa which may well represent clinal variation in the darkness of the upper plumage of the male is found from Sikkim to Assam.[11][13] Its natural habitat is open woodland and scrub.[8] They may sometimes occur in summer on the lower plains but a record from further south at Londa near Goa has been determined as a misidentified Siberian rubythroat.[14][15] A single bird was observed by Col Rohit Sharma at Wan Sanctuary, Melghat Tiger Reserve on 29 January 2023 during first bird survey in the reserve.[16]
Behaviour and ecologyedit
Adults are shy although sometimes perching in the open. They are usually seen singly or in pairs during the breeding season. They feed mainly on small insects including beetles and ants. During the breeding season the male sings through the day from the top of an exposed perch. The song is a series of squeaky notes with a great deal of variation. Females produce an upward inflected whistle that follows a short and gruff note. The alarm call is a sharp yapping skyap.[8][17]
In the Tien Shan region, the Himalayan rubythroat is found in thickets of juniper elfin at altitudes of 2500 to 2700 m on gently sloping land. The breeding season is in summer and nests are built in shrubs near dense stands of trees. The nest is placed in the middle of a shrub and sometimes on the ground in a dense tussock. The typical nest is a loose and large ball like with an entrance on the side but is sometimes cup like with an open top. The nest is built mainly by the female. A clutch of 4 to 6 eggs is laid. The eggs are greenish blue with rusty dots forming a ring near the broad end. Incubation is mostly by the female but the nestlings are fed by both parents. The eggs hatch after around 14 days and the young leave the nest when they fledge after about 16 days.[18] The parents forage close to the nest and the young are mainly fed with hairy caterpillars. Rubythroats have been observed to abandon their nest when a cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) laid an egg in their nest. Martens and stoats sometimes destroy nests and prey on the young.[17]
In cultureedit
The summer song of the male inspired the 1995 composition Summoning Dawn by Scottish composer and birdcall recorder Magnus Robb who was inspired by the tune he noticed by playing the calls at a fourth of its normal speed.[19]
Referencesedit
^BirdLife International (2018). "Calliope pectoralis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T103768539A132043046. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T103768539A132043046.en. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
^Mayr, Ernst; Paynter, Raymond A. Jr. (1964). Check-list of Birds of the World. Volume 10. Vol. 10. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 44.
^Gould, John (1837). Icones avium, or figures and descriptions of new and interesting species of birds from various parts of the globe. Vol. Part 1. Plate 4, text.
^Sangster, G.; Alström, P.; Forsmark, E.; Olsson, U. (2010). "Multi-locus phylogenetic analysis of Old World chats and flycatchers reveals extensive paraphyly at family, subfamily and genus level (Aves: Muscicapidae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 57 (1): 380–392. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2010.07.008. PMID 20656044.
^ abcGill, Frank; Donsker, David, eds. (2016). "Chats, Old World flycatchers". World Bird List Version 7.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
^Liu, Y.; Chen, G.; Huang, Q.; Jia, C.; Carey, G.; Leader, P.; Li, Y.; Zou, F.; Yang, X.; Olsson, U.; Alström, P. (2016). "Species delimitation of the white-tailed rubythroat Calliope pectoralis complex (Aves, Turdidae) using an integrative taxonomic approach". Avian Biology. 47 (6): 899–910. doi:10.1111/jav.01015.
^ abAli S, Ripley SD (1997). Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan. Vol. 8 (2nd ed.). New Delhi: Oxford University Press. pp. 225–229.
^ abcRasmussen PC & JC Anderton (2005). Birds of South Asia. Volume 2. Washington DC and Barcelona: Smithsonian Institution and Lynx Edicions. pp. 391–392.
^Deignan, HG; RA Paynter Jr; S D Ripley (1964). Mayr E; R A Paynter Jr (eds.). Check-list of Birds of the World. Volume 10. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. pp. 44–45.
^Hartert, E (1910). Die Vogel der palaearktischen Fauna. Band 1. Berlin: Verlag von R. Friedlaender und Sohn. pp. 739–740.
^ abBaker, ECS (1924). Fauna of British India. Birds. Volume 2 (2nd ed.). London: Taylor and Francis. pp. 92–95.
^Prjevalsky, N (1877). "The birds of Mongolia, the Tangut Country and the Solitudes of Northern Tibet". In Rowley, George Dawson (ed.). Ornithological Miscellany. Volume. London: Trubner and Co. pp. 138–204.
^Inskipp, C & Inskipp T (1985). A guide to the birds of Nepal (2nd ed.). London: Christopher Helm. p. 239. ISBN9780713681093.
^Prasad, Anand (2006). (PDF). Indian Birds. 2 (1): 12. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-04-05. Retrieved 2011-11-30.
^Oates, Eugene W. (1890). Fauna of British India. Birds. Volume 2. London: Taylor and Francis. pp. 103–104.
^ abGavrilov EI, Kovshar AF (1970). "Breeding biology of the Himalayan Rubythroat, Erithacus pectoralis (Gould) in the Tien Shan". Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. 67 (1): 14–25.
^Badyaev, AV & CK Ghalambor (2001). "Evolution of life histories along elevation gradients: Trade-off between parental care and fecundity" (PDF). Ecology. 82 (10): 2948–2960. doi:10.1890/0012-9658(2001)082[2948:EOLHAE]2.0.CO;2.
^Doolitte, Emily (2008). "Crickets in the concert hall: A history of animals in western music". TRANS Revista Transcultural de Musica. 12.
External linksedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Luscinia pectoralis.
Images and videos on the Internet Bird Collection
January 01, 1970
himalayan, rubythroat, calliope, pectoralis, species, passerine, bird, family, muscicapidae, closely, related, siberian, rubythroat, which, however, lacks, distinctive, white, tail, tips, white, tail, bases, also, previously, considered, conspecific, with, chi. The Himalayan rubythroat Calliope pectoralis is a species of passerine bird in the family Muscicapidae It is closely related to the Siberian rubythroat which however lacks the distinctive white tail tips and white tail bases It was also previously considered conspecific with the Chinese rubythroat together called the white tailed rubythroat It is found along the Himalayan ranges from Afghanistan to Myanmar Three subspecies are recognized across its wide range Himalayan rubythroat Male of the nominate subspecies Dehradun India Conservation status Least Concern IUCN 3 1 1 Scientific classification Domain Eukaryota Kingdom Animalia Phylum Chordata Class Aves Order Passeriformes Family Muscicapidae Genus Calliope Species C pectoralis Binomial name Calliope pectoralisGould 1837 Subspecies See text Synonyms Luscinia pectoralis Contents 1 Taxonomy 2 Description 3 Distribution and habitat 4 Behaviour and ecology 5 In culture 6 References 7 External linksTaxonomy editThe first formal description of the Himalayan rubythroat was by the English ornithologist and bird artist John Gould in 1837 He coined the binomial name Calliope pectoralis 2 3 The species was given the English name white tailed rubythroat and moved to the genus Luscinia A large molecular phylogenetic study published in 2010 found that the genus Luscinia was not monophyletic The genus was therefore split and several species including the white tailed rubythroat were moved to the reinstated genus Calliope 4 5 Another study published in 2016 compared the mitochondrial DNA vocalization and morphology of several Calliope pectoralis subspecies Based on their results the authors recommended that C p tschebaiewi be promoted to species rank with the English name Chinese rubythroat At the same time the English name white tailed rubythroat was changed to Himalayan rubythroat 5 6 There are three subspecies 5 C p ballioni Severtsov 1873 mountains of central Asia and northeast Afghanistan C p pectoralis Gould 1837 east Afghanistan C p confusa Hartert 1910 Nepal to BhutanDescription edit nbsp Male of ssp ballioni Kazakhstan The male is slaty brown above with a white forehead and supercilium The wings are brownish and the tail is blackish with white base and tips The sides of the throat and breast are black and the centre of the chin and throat is scarlet Each of the black feathers on the breast is narrowly fringed with grey 7 The belly and vent are white The female is dull brownish grey above with a diffuse supercilium and smoky underparts The centre of the throat is whitish and a short whitish moustachial stripe is present in the eastern populations 7 The subspecies found in Afghanistan and the Tien Shans ballioni has the male paler than the nominate subspecies of the western Himalayas In the central and eastern Himalayas of Sikkim and Bhutan confusa is similar but has the male blacker above with a more prominent white forehead It has a face pattern that resembles that of the Siberian rubythroat and a strong white submoustachial streak The thin supercila over the eyes do not meet at the forehead Being rather distinctive and possibly closer to the Siberian rubythroat the taxonomy and placement of this population as well as the overall treatment of this species pair has been questioned 8 9 10 11 12 Distribution and habitat editIt is found in Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent ranging across Afghanistan Bangladesh Bhutan India Kazakhstan Myanmar Nepal Pakistan Russia Tajikistan Thailand Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan The move up north and into higher altitudes in summer and move into lower elevations to the south in winter Subspecies ballioni is found in the western and northern part of its range while the nominate population occurs along the western and central Himalayas in India Subspecies confusa which may well represent clinal variation in the darkness of the upper plumage of the male is found from Sikkim to Assam 11 13 Its natural habitat is open woodland and scrub 8 They may sometimes occur in summer on the lower plains but a record from further south at Londa near Goa has been determined as a misidentified Siberian rubythroat 14 15 A single bird was observed by Col Rohit Sharma at Wan Sanctuary Melghat Tiger Reserve on 29 January 2023 during first bird survey in the reserve 16 Behaviour and ecology editAdults are shy although sometimes perching in the open They are usually seen singly or in pairs during the breeding season They feed mainly on small insects including beetles and ants During the breeding season the male sings through the day from the top of an exposed perch The song is a series of squeaky notes with a great deal of variation Females produce an upward inflected whistle that follows a short and gruff note The alarm call is a sharp yapping skyap 8 17 In the Tien Shan region the Himalayan rubythroat is found in thickets of juniper elfin at altitudes of 2500 to 2700 m on gently sloping land The breeding season is in summer and nests are built in shrubs near dense stands of trees The nest is placed in the middle of a shrub and sometimes on the ground in a dense tussock The typical nest is a loose and large ball like with an entrance on the side but is sometimes cup like with an open top The nest is built mainly by the female A clutch of 4 to 6 eggs is laid The eggs are greenish blue with rusty dots forming a ring near the broad end Incubation is mostly by the female but the nestlings are fed by both parents The eggs hatch after around 14 days and the young leave the nest when they fledge after about 16 days 18 The parents forage close to the nest and the young are mainly fed with hairy caterpillars Rubythroats have been observed to abandon their nest when a cuckoo Cuculus canorus laid an egg in their nest Martens and stoats sometimes destroy nests and prey on the young 17 In culture editThe summer song of the male inspired the 1995 composition Summoning Dawn by Scottish composer and birdcall recorder Magnus Robb who was inspired by the tune he noticed by playing the calls at a fourth of its normal speed 19 References edit BirdLife International 2018 Calliope pectoralis IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018 e T103768539A132043046 doi 10 2305 IUCN UK 2018 2 RLTS T103768539A132043046 en Retrieved 17 November 2021 Mayr Ernst Paynter Raymond A Jr 1964 Check list of Birds of the World Volume 10 Vol 10 Cambridge Massachusetts Museum of Comparative Zoology p 44 Gould John 1837 Icones avium or figures and descriptions of new and interesting species of birds from various parts of the globe Vol Part 1 Plate 4 text Sangster G Alstrom P Forsmark E Olsson U 2010 Multi locus phylogenetic analysis of Old World chats and flycatchers reveals extensive paraphyly at family subfamily and genus level Aves Muscicapidae Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 57 1 380 392 doi 10 1016 j ympev 2010 07 008 PMID 20656044 a b c Gill Frank Donsker David eds 2016 Chats Old World flycatchers World Bird List Version 7 2 International Ornithologists Union Retrieved 1 May 2017 Liu Y Chen G Huang Q Jia C Carey G Leader P Li Y Zou F Yang X Olsson U Alstrom P 2016 Species delimitation of the white tailed rubythroat Calliope pectoralis complex Aves Turdidae using an integrative taxonomic approach Avian Biology 47 6 899 910 doi 10 1111 jav 01015 a b Ali S Ripley SD 1997 Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan Vol 8 2nd ed New Delhi Oxford University Press pp 225 229 a b c Rasmussen PC amp JC Anderton 2005 Birds of South Asia Volume 2 Washington DC and Barcelona Smithsonian Institution and Lynx Edicions pp 391 392 Deignan HG RA Paynter Jr S D Ripley 1964 Mayr E R A Paynter Jr eds Check list of Birds of the World Volume 10 Cambridge Massachusetts Museum of Comparative Zoology pp 44 45 Hartert E 1910 Die Vogel der palaearktischen Fauna Band 1 Berlin Verlag von R Friedlaender und Sohn pp 739 740 a b Baker ECS 1924 Fauna of British India Birds Volume 2 2nd ed London Taylor and Francis pp 92 95 Prjevalsky N 1877 The birds of Mongolia the Tangut Country and the Solitudes of Northern Tibet In Rowley George Dawson ed Ornithological Miscellany Volume London Trubner and Co pp 138 204 Inskipp C amp Inskipp T 1985 A guide to the birds of Nepal 2nd ed London Christopher Helm p 239 ISBN 9780713681093 Prasad Anand 2006 Himalayan White tailed Rubythroat Luscinia pectoralis at Londa Karnataka a deletion PDF Indian Birds 2 1 12 Archived from the original PDF on 2012 04 05 Retrieved 2011 11 30 Oates Eugene W 1890 Fauna of British India Birds Volume 2 London Taylor and Francis pp 103 104 https www thehitavada com Encyc 2023 2 2 10 new species of birds recorded in Melghat html a b Gavrilov EI Kovshar AF 1970 Breeding biology of the Himalayan Rubythroat Erithacus pectoralis Gould in the Tien Shan Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 67 1 14 25 Badyaev AV amp CK Ghalambor 2001 Evolution of life histories along elevation gradients Trade off between parental care and fecundity PDF Ecology 82 10 2948 2960 doi 10 1890 0012 9658 2001 082 2948 EOLHAE 2 0 CO 2 Doolitte Emily 2008 Crickets in the concert hall A history of animals in western music TRANS Revista Transcultural de Musica 12 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Luscinia pectoralis Images and videos on the Internet Bird Collection Birds of Kazakhstan Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Himalayan rubythroat amp oldid 1191109480, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
