Hoary-throated Barwing     Actinodura Nipalensis

 Etymology :

• Actinodura : Greek word aktis, aktinos brightness, splendour; odouros watcher, guardian

• Nipalensis: From Nepal

 Vernacular Name: Lepcha: Ramnio-pho

Distribution in India: Resident of  Central & Eastern Himalayas in India.

Description: Size of 21 cm; Weight of 39–48 g. It is a medium-sized babbler with strikingly long crown feathers creating floppy crest, tight neat black-and-tan barring on wings and tail, and plain buffy lower underparts. The crown feathers have dark brown fringes and buffy centres producing long streaks, extending onto ochrous-brown mantle, scapulars, back and rump, rustier on uppertail-coverts. The greater upperwing-coverts are ochrous mid-brown with broad mid-grey tips, primary coverts are black, flight-feathers are with neat black lines on tan background, shading greyer towards tips. The tail is also barred centrally, but black lines are broadening distally to become broad blackish subterminal band with narrow whitish tips. The ear-coverts are silvery mid-brown, short submoustachial stripe is blackish-brown. The chin, throat and lower submoustachial are pale brownish-grey, shading slightly darker on vaguely streaked upper breast, with ochrous mid-brown on lower flanks, thighs and vent. The iris is brown to dark brown; bill is dark brown to dark horn. The legs are flesh-coloured to greyish-brown or brown. Both the sexes are similar. The juvenile has browner crest and on head sides, weaker dark submoustachial line, and slightly weaker dark tertial barring than adult.

Habitat: It is found in oak forest and mixed oak, conifer and rhododendron forest with plenty of undergrowth, including bamboo and brambles. It occurs at 1830–3500 m, some descending locally as low as 1500 m during harsh winter weather.

Food habits: It eats beetles , caterpillars and other insects, berries, seeds, flowers, rhododendron, flower buds, moss and nectar. It is found in small parties of 3–10 individuals, sometimes in bird waves, which often include such other babblers as minlas, sibias and yuhinas. It forages mostly in upper branches of middle-sized trees, searching among moss and epiphytes; occasionally descends to or near ground.

Breeding habits:  They breed in Apr–Jun. The nest is a small neat compact cup, made of fine grasses with some lichen and moss on exterior, lined with rootlets, and placed in sapling. They lay a clutch of 2 eggs. The eggs are pale pinkish-white with bold reddish-brown blotches and inky-grey secondary blotches.