Yellow-vented Flowerpecker Dicaeum chrysorrheum
Etymology:
- Dicaeum: Greek word dikaion supposedly an Indian bird
- Chrysorrheum : Greek word khrusos- gold; orrhos –rump
Distribution in India: Resident of eastern Himalayas and Hills of North east India .
Description: Size of 9–10 cm; Weight of male 9·1–10·1 g, Weight of female 9 g. It is a greenish flowerpecker with striped underparts and large curved bill. The male of nominate race has White lores. The crown, side of neck and upperparts are bright olive-green, upperwing and tail are black. The submoustachial stripe and throat are white, greyish-black malar streak; breast and belly are creamy white, streaked blackish, undertail-coverts are yellow or orange. The iris is orange or orange-red; bill is dark grey or blackish; legs are dark grey. The sexes are similar, female generally with less bright undertail-coverts. The juvenile differs from adult in having duller upperparts, underparts are more greyish and with finer, less well-defined, greyish-brown streaks, bill is pale with black tip.
Race chrysochlore has breast and belly yellowish-white and more heavily streaked greyish-black, and undertail-coverts are bright golden-yellow.
Habitat: It is found in lowland and hill forest, lower montane forest and secondary forest, moist deciduous and alluvial forests, peat swamp-forest, and highland heath forest, in open jungle, woodland. It is found up to 2000 m.
Food habits: It eats fruits of mistletoes and small figs, berries, nectar; also insects, including small beetles. It forages at all levels of vegetation.
Breeding habits: They breed in Apr–Aug in India. The nest is built by both sexes, taking 4–5 days. The nest is a well-concealed pouch of moss, grass, fibre, cotton down, fine grass-seed ends and spider webs, suspended usually below from bush or tree branch. They lay a clutch 2–3 eggs. The incubation done by both sexes.