Himalayan rubythroat
| White-tailed rubythroat | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Male of the nominate subspecies (Dehradun, India) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Muscicapidae |
| Genus: | Calliope |
| Species: | C. pectoralis |
| Binomial name | |
|
Calliope pectoralis (Gould, 1837) |
|
| Subspecies | |
|
|
 |
|
|
L. p. tschebaiewi breeding range
breeding range of other populations Winter range |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Luscinia pectoralis |
|
Luscinia pectoralis
The white-tailed rubythroat or Himalayan rubythroat (Calliope pectoralis previously Luscinia pectoralis) is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is closely related to the Siberian rubythroat which however lacks the distinctive white tail-tips and white tail bases. It is found along the Himalayan ranges from Afghanistan to Burma. Several subspecies are recognized across its wide range.
The white-tailed rubythroat was previously placed in the genus Luscinia but had earlier also been included in the genera Erithacus and Calliope. A large molecular phylogenetic study published in 2010 found that Luscinia was not monophyletic. The genus was therefore split and several species including the white-tailed rubythroat were moved to the reinstated genus Calliope.
The male is slaty brown above with a white forehead and supercilium. The wings are brownish and the tail is blackish with white base and tips. The sides of the throat and breast are black and the centre of the chin and throat is scarlet. Each of the black feathers on the breast is narrowly fringed with grey. The belly and vent are white. The female is dull, brownish grey above with a diffuse supercilium and smoky underparts. The centre of the throat is whitish and a short whitish moustachial stripe is present in the eastern populations.
The subspecies found in Afghanistan and the Tien Shans, ballioni, has the male paler than the nominate subspecies of the western Himalayas. In the central and eastern Himalayas of Sikkim and Bhutan, confusa, is similar but has the male blacker above with a more prominent white forehead. The edge of the Tibetan plateau in Ladakh and to the east up to Gansu is the breeding range of subspecies tschebaiewi which winters in Assam and Sikkim. It has a face pattern that resembles that of the Siberian rubythroat and a strong white submoustachial streak. The thin supercila over the eyes do not meet at the forehead. Being rather distinctive and possibly closer to the Siberian rubythroat, the taxonomy and placement of this population as well as the overall treatment of this species pair has been questioned.
...
Wikipedia