Pale-billed Parrotbill Suthora atrosuperciliaris
Etymology:
- Suthora : Nepalese name Suthora-Parrotbill.
- Atrosuperciliaris: Latin word ater – black; superciliaris- eyebrowed
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- Oatesi : Eugene William Oates (1845-1911) English civil servant
Distribution :
- Nominate- North East India (East Arunachal Pradesh East of River Dihang, South to Nagaland, South Assam, extreme East Meghalaya and Mizoram)
- a. oatesi – North East India (Sikkim, North West Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh West of River Dihang)
Description: Size of 15 cm. It has a peaked crown and rather short, deep-based bill.
The nominate race has bright rufous forehead to nape (forehead buffier above bill), merging on upper mantle into warm olive-brown of upperparts. The lores are pale buff with some faint blackish streaking close to upper bill base. It has a pale bluish closer to eye and pale bluish eyering with short, thickish black eyebrow.
The upperwing is blackish-brown, all flight-feathers and tertials with rufous-buff inner fringe and rufous outer fringe, wing-coverts have dulled rufous outer fringing. The uppertail is dark brown, outer fringes are similar in colour to upperparts. The malar area and ear-coverts are pale rufous than crown, cheek is paler, the neck side is like nape.
Centre of throat is white to buffish-white with thin faint blackish bristle streaks, underparts are warm buff. The iris is bright brown to bright red-brown; bill is pinkish with darker culmen and base, becoming bluish close to forehead, or pale grey with white to pinkish-flesh tip. The legs are pale blue-grey or plumbeous. Both the sexes are alike.
The juvenile is very similar to adult.
The race oatesi lacks black eyebrow, is whiter below than nominate, and legs and feet sometimes with greenish tint.
Habitat: It is found in bamboo in or near broadleaf evergreen forest, forest edge, tall grass. It is found from 550–2100 m.
Food habits: It eats small seeds, also insects and their pupae, small beetles and grasshoppers, and spiders . It is found in parties of 6–12 or more individuals, often in company with White-hooded Babbler (Gampsorhynchus rufulus) and Psittiparus ruficeps where ranges overlap. It often hangs upside-down when foraging.
Breeding habits: They breed in Apr–Jul in India. The nest is a deep cup-shaped structure made from fine shreds of grass, whitish bark, broad pieces of bamboo leaves and similar material, lined with grass stems and scraps of tree bark. The exterior of nest is yellowish-white and interior is darker and browner, situated above ground among cluster of twigs growing from bamboo node or attached to reeds. They lay a clutch of 3 pale blue eggs.