Nilgiri Shortwing
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The Nilgiri blue robin (''Sholicola major''), also known as Nilgiri shortwing, white-bellied shortwing, Nilgiri sholakili or rufous-bellied shortwing is a
species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
of
passerine A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped') which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines generally have an anisodactyl arrangement of their ...
bird in the family
Muscicapidae The Old World flycatchers are a large family, the Muscicapidae, of small passerine birds restricted to the Old World (Europe, Africa and Asia), with the exception of several vagrants and two species, bluethroat (''Luscinia svecica'') and north ...
endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
to the
Shola A shola is the local name for a patch of stunted Montane grasslands and shrublands, tropical montane forest found in valleys amid rolling grassland in the higher montane regions of South India, largely in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamilnadu. These ...
forests of the higher hills of southern
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
, mainly north of the
Palghat Gap Palakkad Gap or Palghat Gap is a low mountain pass in the Western Ghats between Coimbatore in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and Palakkad in the state of Kerala. It has an average elevation of with a width of . The pass is located between th ...
. This small bird is found on the forest floor and undergrowth of dense forest patches sheltered in the valleys of montane grassland, a restricted and threatened habitat. The
white-bellied blue robin The white-bellied blue robin (''Sholicola albiventris'') or white-bellied sholakili, is a bird of the family Muscicapidae. It is endemic to the Shola forests of the higher hills of southern India. The Nilgiri blue robin and this species were o ...
was formerly considered
conspecific Biological specificity is the tendency of a characteristic such as a behavior or a biochemical variation to occur in a particular species. Biochemist Linus Pauling stated that "Biological specificity is the set of characteristics of living organism ...
with this species but in 2005 the two taxa were split by Pamela C. Rasmussen, a treatment that is followed by some authorities. Their genus remained uncertain until a 2017
molecular phylogenetic Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...
study found that these two south Indian species formed a
sister group In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree. Definition The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram: Taxon A and ...
to a
clade In biology, a clade (), also known as a Monophyly, monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach t ...
containing the genera '' Eumyias'', ''
Niltava ''Niltava'' (from ''niltau'', Nepali language, Nepali for the rufous-bellied niltava) is a genus of passerine birds in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. They are found in found in South Asia, South and Southeast Asia as well as in Chi ...
'' and ''
Cyornis ''Cyornis'' is a genus of birds in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae most of which are native to Southeast Asia. Taxonomy The genus ''Cyornis'' was introduced by the English zoologist Edward Blyth in 1843. He listed three species in ...
''. A new genus ''Sholicola'' was therefore erected for these two species.


Description

This chat-like bird is long-legged and appears chunky with its short tail and wing. Although sharing similar habits and shape, the two species differ in plumage and both may show slight sexual dimorphism. Females may differ from males in iris colour at least in ''S. albiventris''. The Nilgiri blue robin (''S. major'') has the lores black and the upperside, the throat, breast are dark slaty blue but the lower plumage is rufous. The centre of the belly is buffy white. The brow is not as well-marked as in the other species and is diffuse bluish.


Taxonomy and systematics

Thomas C. Jerdon obtained a specimen of the rufous-bellied species from the Nilgiris and called it ''Phaenicura major'' ("Large Red-start") in 1844 but
Edward Blyth Edward Blyth (23 December 1810 – 27 December 1873) was an English zoologist who worked for most of his life in India as a curator of zoology at the Asiatic Society, Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal in Calcutta. He set about updating the museum ...
suggested that the species should be placed in the genus ''Callene'' that he had separated from the already extant ''Brachypteryx'', a genus in which he also placed the blue-fronted robin (now ''Cinclidium frontale'' then ''Callene frontalis''). Jerdon then suggested the new name of ''Callene rufiventris'', a name not used due to the priority given to the names first proposed. Eugene Oates in the first edition of ''The Fauna of British India'' moved the species back into the genus ''Brachypteryx'' stating that they were congeneric with '' Brachypteryx cruralis'' while also noting that the young birds were speckled as in true-thrushes like ''Callene'' (as represented by the blue-fronted robin). Oates also used the name "Rufous-bellied Short-wing". This genus placement was carried on in the second edition of ''The Fauna of British India'' (1924) by E. C. Stuart Baker but was demoted into a subspecies on the basis of a specimen collected by T. F. Bourdillon at Mynal which was claimed to be intermediate to the two forms.
Claud Buchanan Ticehurst Claud Buchanan Ticehurst FRGS (8 January 1881 – 17 February 1941) was a British ornithologist. Early years Born at St Leonards-on-Sea, Sussex he was a brother of Norman Frederic Ticehurst (1873-1960) and their father was Dr. A. R. Ticehu ...
in 1939 reaffirmed the genus placement. This treatment as subspecies was carried forward by
Salim Ali Sálim Moizuddin Abdul Ali (12 November 1896 – 20 June 1987) was an Indian ornithologist and naturalist. Sometimes referred to as the "Birdman of India", Salim Ali was the first Indian to conduct systematic bird surveys across India and wrot ...
and
Sidney Dillon Ripley Sidney Dillon Ripley II (September 20, 1913 – March 12, 2001) was an American ornithologist and wildlife conservationist. He served as secretary of the Smithsonian Institution for 20 years, from 1964 to 1984, leading the institution throug ...
in their "Handbook" until the old two species were restored by P C Rasmussen in 2005. In the ''
Birds of South Asia ''Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide'' by Pamela C. Rasmussen and John C. Anderton is a two-volume ornithological handbook, covering the birds of South Asia, published in 2005 (second edition in 2012) by the Smithsonian Institution and Lynx Ed ...
'' (2005), however they moved the species tentatively into the genus ''Myiomela'' based on morphological similarities and pointed out that the placement in ''Brachypteryx'' was in error (as ''Brachypteryx'' is strongly sexually dimorphic). In 2010, DNA sequence studies suggested an ancient divergence in these two populations and confirmed their elevation to full species. The genus position was however not settled. Another 2010 molecular phylogenetics study suggested that the genus ''Brachypteryx'' (the taxa sampled however, did not include the peninsular Indian forms) which was earlier thought to belong to the thrush family
Turdidae The thrushes are a passerine bird family, Turdidae, with a worldwide distribution. The family was once much larger before biologists reclassified the former subfamily Saxicolinae, which includes the chats and European robins, as Old World flyca ...
belonged to the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. The type species of ''Brachypteryx'', ''B. montana'', shows strong sexual dimorphism. A 2017 study found that the species from southern India formed a group that is a sister to the clade (treated as subfamily Niltavinae) of flycatchers in the genera ''Eumyias'', ''Cyanoptila'', ''Niltava'', ''Cyornis'' and ''Anthipes'' and the new genus of ''Sholicola'' was erected for them.


Habitat and distribution

Its natural
habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...
is forest patches in the valleys of high altitude grasslands known as
shola A shola is the local name for a patch of stunted Montane grasslands and shrublands, tropical montane forest found in valleys amid rolling grassland in the higher montane regions of South India, largely in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamilnadu. These ...
s. The species has been found to occur only above 1200 m altitude in the higher hill ranges of Western Ghats. These forest patches are highly restricted in size and the species is thus threatened by
habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...
. Populations of ''S. major'' are found in the Nilgiris, the Bababudan hills and the Brahmagiris.


Behaviour and ecology

These birds are found in dense forest in the dark lower canopy and forest floor. They are skulking but can be confiding. They call frequently with tit-like notes and harsh rattles. The song of ''S. major'' is said to be series of shrill whistles and twangy buzzing sounds. Geographically isolated populations show variations in their songs. Birds have been noted to moult their tail feathers in the beginning of June. Little is known of their dispersal, longevity and other aspects of life history although more than 133 birds have been ringed. Two greyish green and brown-marked eggs are laid during the breeding season that varies from April to June, after the rains. The nest is placed in a tree hole or placed on a bank and is made of moss and fibrous roots and placed low over the ground. The incubation period is about 16 to 17 days. Both parents share the nesting duties like incubation and feeding the nestlings. Old nests from the previous year may sometimes be reused.


References


External links


Photographs

Videos and call recordings
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3315840 Nilgiri blue robin Nilgiri blue robin Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Birds of South India