Characterized By His Long Elegant Tail, This Bird Is Better Known For His Uniquely Tufted, Fu Manchu Style Tufted Moustache!

The elegant, long-tailed songbird is endemic to its region and distinguished by a unique tufted white cheek.

Meet the White-eared sibia:

Description: The White-eared Sibia, also known as Heterophasia auricularis, belongs to the laughingthrush family. Characterized by its elegance and long tail, the White-eared Sibia measures between 22 to 24 cm in length and weighs approximately 40–50 g. Sporting a black head with a prominent white stripe through the eye, which extends into long filamentous plumes, it boasts deep blue-black wings and tail with a distinctive white wingbar. The upper back and breast are dark grey, while the belly and rump display deep rufous chestnut hues.

Both males and females resemble each other, while the plumage of juvenile birds remains undescribed.

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This bird was initially documented by Robert Swinhoe in 1864 and is not divided into subspecies.

Distribution: Endemic to Taiwan, the White-eared Sibia thrives in a variety of forest and woodland habitats across the island.

Habitat: It exhibits partial altitudinal migration, breeding at elevations of 1,200–3,000 m above sea level during the summer months (reaching up to 2,780 m in northern Taiwan). However, some individuals descend to lower altitudes, down to 700 m in winter, and occasionally as low as 200 m during harsh conditions. While it frequents evergreen forests, including mixed broadleaf coniferous forests in the summer, it shifts to deciduous forests in the winter.

Diet: Active feeders, White-eared Sibias consume a diverse array of prey and food items, including insects, nectar, acorns, berries, fruit, seeds, eggs, and nestlings. They possess a brushy tongue adapted for nectar consumption but are not solely reliant on this food source. They often join Taiwan yuhina flocks in flowering trees to exploit available resources. While they predominantly feed from the canopy to the forest floor, they also forage higher up, either individually, in pairs, or in small flocks.

Breeding: Although little is known about their breeding behavior, it is known they construct nests in the canopy of tall trees.

This bird is regarded as of Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Listen to this bird next:

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Decked Out Vibrant Pink, This Bird Is Strangely Overlooked And Rarely Seen Due To Their Unobtrusive Nature!

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