#white-collared blackbird

[birdstudies]

April 21, 2018 - White-collared Blackbird or White-collared Thrush (Turdus albocinctus)

These thrushes are found from northern India east to southern China. They eat invertebrates, including various insects and earthworms, along with fruits. Breeding from March to July, they build their cup-shaped nests from moss, grass, rootlets, and stems.

[ainawgsd]

The white-collared blackbird (Turdus albocinctus) is a species of bird in the family Turdidae. It is found in the Indian subcontinent, ranging across Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests and subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland.

On the Tibetan Plateau White-collared Blackbirds can breed twice a year. The first breeding attempt results in small clutches where a few nestlings fledge in high body condition. Contrasting with the second attempt where larger clutches result in more chicks fledgling but these are in lower body condition. These differences are thought to be driven by parental feeding behaviour and seasonal variation in food availability. White-collared Blackbirds feed their chicks plant material, especially berries, and invertebrates such as arthropods and annelids.

This aptly-named species has a bright white collar, which is its most notable field mark. Like most other blackbirds, males are predominantly black while females are dark brown. Breeds in alpine and upper subalpine meadows, open forests, and gardens where it forages on the ground, often singly or in pairs. Sometimes descends to upper foothills in the winter. [x]