The Javan shortwing (''Brachypteryx montana'') (formerly the white-browed shortwing) is a species of bird that is placed in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It is endemic to the island of Java where it favours montane forests.

Taxonomy

The Javan shortwing was formally described in 1821 by the America naturalist

Thomas Horsfield Thomas Horsfield (May 12, 1773 – July 24, 1859) was an American physician and naturalist who worked extensively in Indonesia, describing numerous species of plants and animals from the region. He was later a curator of the East India Company ...

. He coined the present

binomial name In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

''Brachypteryx montana''. This species was formerly named the white-browed shortwing and included many subspecies. It was split into five separate species based on the deep genetic difference between the populations coupled with the significant differences in plumage and vocalization. The new species are the Philippine shortwing (''Brachypteryx poliogyna''), the Bornean shortwing (''Brachypteryx erythrogyna''), the

Sumatran shortwing The Sumatran shortwing (''Brachypteryx saturata'') is a species of bird in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It is endemic to the island of Sumatra in western Indonesia where it favours montane forest. This species was formerly co ...

(''Brachypteryx saturata'') and the

Flores shortwing The Flores shortwing (''Brachypteryx floris'') is a species of bird in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It is endemic to the island of Flores in the Lesser Sunda Islands where it favours montane forest. This species was formerly c ...

(''Brachypteryx floris''). The white-browed shortwing with its much reduced range was renamed the Javan shortwing. The species is now

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

: no subspecies are recognised.

Description

The Javan shortwing is a shy skulker, preferring to be on or near the ground, in the depths of dark vegetation, where it feeds on small insects, larvae, berries, seeds, sprouts and new buds of plants. The nest consists of moss and grass stems, placed in a dense shrub.

References

white-browed shortwing Birds of Nepal Birds of Bhutan Birds of Northeast India Birds of China Birds of Taiwan Birds of Southeast Asia white-browed shortwing Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Muscicapidae-stub