Pale-billed Flowerpecker

Pale-billed Flowerpecker   Dicaeum erythrorhynchos

Etymology:

  • Dicaeum: Greek word dikaion supposedly an Indian bird
  • Erythrorhynchos : Erytho –red; Rhynchos- Beak { Red Beaked}

 Vernacular names: Hindi: Phoolchuki, Lepcha: Sungti-pro-pho, Guj: Pilichanchvali phul sunghani, Ta: Poon-chittu, Poon-kothi, Te: Poopudupu jitta, Kan: Badanike hakki, Sinh: Pililer-geddi sutikka, Mar: Tickelcha Fultocha

Distribution in India: Widespread Resident except in North West and North East of India.

Description: Size of 7-8 cm. It is a plain-looking Flowerpecker with markedly down curved pale bill. The nominate race is plain greyish-brown or olive-brown above, remiges dark brown with pale edging, rectrices dark brown with pale tips; lores and side of face paler; sandy grey to greyish-white below, sometimes tinged greyish-brown on sides of breast, and often more buffy on belly and flanks, whitish underwing-coverts; iris hazel-brown; bill pale horn-brown, pinkish-flesh at gape and on lower mandible except tip, mouth pale pink; legs dark slate-coloured. Both the sexes are similar.

Habitat: It is found in deciduous forest, mangroves, cultivation, plantations and orchards and fig trees.

Food Habits: It eats fruits and nectar, particularly of mistletoes and figs, spiders and insects. It forages generally in canopy. It forages singly and in pairs; outside breeding season sometimes in small groups and in mixed-species flocks.

Breeding Habits: They breed in Mar-June in India. The nest-building, care of young, and incubation is done by both sexes. The nest a small pinkish-brown, felted, oval purse of fine grass, vegetable down, bark, moss, cocoons and caterpillar frass, lined with soft, silky down and fibers, decorated with berries, lichen and flat white material resembling shed reptile skin, suspended from twig among leaves above ground, sometimes secured to supporting branch at back and often well concealed by surrounding foliage, or may be supported at each end by twigs in hammock-like fashion. It lays a clutch of 1–3 eggs.