The Nilgiri flowerpecker (''Dicaeum concolor'') is a tiny

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

in the

flowerpecker The flowerpeckers are a family (biology), family, Dicaeidae, of passerine birds. The family comprises three genera, ''Dicaeum'', ''Prionochilus'' and ''Pachyglossa'', with 56 species in total. The family has sometimes been included in an enlarge ...

family. Formerly a subspecies of what used to be termed as the

plain flowerpecker The plain flowerpecker (''Dicaeum minullum'') is a bird in the family Dicaeidae. The species was described and given its binomial name by Robert Swinhoe in 1870. It is found in the central Himalayas, through western Indonesia to Taiwan. Descrip ...

although that name is now reserved for ''Dicaeum minullum''. Like others of the group, it feeds predominantly on nectar and fruits. They forage within the canopy of forests and are found in India. They are non-migratory and the widespread distribution range includes several populations that are non-overlapping and morphologically distinct, some of which are recognized as full species. They are important pollinators and dispersers of

mistletoe Mistletoe is the common name for obligate parasite, obligate parasitic plant, hemiparasitic plants in the Order (biology), order Santalales. They are attached to their host tree or shrub by a structure called the haustorium, through which they ...

s in forests.

Description

These birds are tiny (9 cm long) and there is no marked difference between the males and females. It is found in hill forests of the Western Ghats and Nilgiri hills of southern India. It is pale brown on the upperside and the underside is whitish. The whitish brow in front of the eye is wider than in '' Dicaeum erythrorhynchos''. This subspecies has been raised to full species by

Pamela Rasmussen Pamela Cecile Rasmussen (born October 16, 1959) is an American ornithology, ornithologist and expert on Asian birds. She was formerly a research associate at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., and is based at the Michigan State Uni ...

. The subspecies found in northeastern India, extending into Myanmar, Laos and southern China is called ''olivaceum'' by earlier authors but is treated by Rasmussen and other taxonomists now as a separate species ''Dicaeum minullum'' (which includes the population ''minullum'' from Hainan Island and is now termed as the

in the more restricted sense). This is very olive above and the black bill is finer and slightly curved. The population found in the

Andaman Islands The Andaman Islands () are an archipelago, made up of 200 islands, in the northeastern Indian Ocean about southwest off the coasts of Myanmar's Ayeyarwady Region. Together with the Nicobar Islands to their south, the Andamans serve as a mari ...

''virescens'' is also considered a separate species ''Dicaeum virescens'' (the Andaman flowerpecker) in the newer treatment. This is bright olive-green on the upperside with dark speckling on the crown. The centre of the belly has a bright patch of pale yellow.

Behaviour and ecology

The Nilgiri flowerpecker is a common resident breeding bird of woodland edges, cultivation and isolated stands of trees, often in hilly country. The call of the Nilgiri flowerpecker is a sharp ''check'' or a rapid series of ticks, while the song is a high-pitched trill. The breeding season of ''concolor'' in the Nilgiris is January to April possibly with a second brood in May and June. Two or three eggs are laid in a purse-like nest suspended from a tree or bush. Like other flowerpeckers they have a feathery tongue that allows them to sip nectar, but they feed on soft berries as well as small insects. They are important pollinators and dispersers of mistletoes in tropical forests.

References

External links

Image and Classification at Animal Diversity WebPhotos and media
{{Taxonbar, from=Q74106 Nilgiri flowerpecker Endemic birds of India Birds of South India Nilgiri flowerpecker Nilgiri flowerpecker ms:Burung Sepah Putri