Spot-breasted Parrotbill       Paradoxornis guttaticollis 

Etymology

• Paradoxornis : Greek word paradoxos- extraordinary; ornis- bird

• Guttaticollis : Latin word guttatus – spotted ; collis -throated 

Vernacular Names : Cachar: Dao mougasha gadeba 

Distribution : Resident of Northeastern India (Himalayas of extreme eastern Arunachal Pradesh and hills south of Brahmaputra River) 

Description: It has a size of 18–22 cm; weight of male 28–40 g, female 26·5–35 g.

It has a rufous crown and nape, buffier forehead, and rufescent-brown upperparts. The lores are mostly black with buffish-white to pale buff admixed. It has a prominent large blackish ear-covert patch including lower moustachial/malar area & buff neck side behind ear-coverts.

It has dark brown upperwing, darker on inner webs, flight-feathers and tertials have creamy-buff inner fringe, dark rufous outer fringes. The outer edges of primaries P2-P8 paler and duller towards tips. The upperwing-coverts and uppertail dark brown, with outer fringe brighter (similar in colour to upperparts).

The cheek to throat side and area just behind eye are pale buff to buffish-white with greyish streaks, mottling or speckles. The remainder of underside are buff to pale buff, with mostly blackish chin, and sooty inverted chevrons or streaky spots on throat and upper breast.

The iris is brown to red-brown or chestnut. The bill is large, short and very deep-based bright yellow, orange-yellow or wax-yellow, bill tip sometimes browner. The legs are slaty, bluish-grey or greenish-plumbeous. Both the sexes are alike.

The juvenile is similar to adult, but has paler crown, more rufescent upperparts and wing and tail fringing, and more buff-tinged underparts.

Habitat: It is found in grass and scrub land, abandoned cultivation, and bamboo. It occurs at 900–3355 m in its range.

Food habits:  It eats insects and their larvae, seeds and berries. It forages in small parties; occasionally joins bird waves, which may containtimaliid species as Rufous-necked Laughingthrush (Garrulax ruficollis) and Barwing (Actinodura). It breaks open grass stems in search of food.

Breeding habits: They breed in Apr–Jul. They are strongly territorial during breeding season and sing frequently. The nest is a very compact and deep cup-shaped structure, made from soft yellowish and other grasses, and bamboo leaves, plastered with cobwebs, and lined with finer strips of grass, placed above ground in reeds, bamboo clump, shrub or among stout weeds. They lay a clutch of 2–4 eggs.