The Taiwan whistling thrush (''Myophonus insularis''), also known as the Formosan whistling thrush, is a species of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

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 Norther ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found 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 found elsew ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

Taxonomy

The Taiwan whistling thrush was collected by

Robert Swinhoe Robert Swinhoe FRS (1 September 1836 – 28 October 1877) was an English diplomat and naturalist who worked as a Consul in Formosa. He catalogued many Southeast Asian birds, and several, such as Swinhoe's pheasant, are named after him. Bio ...

and described as ''Myiophoneus insularis'' by

John Gould John Gould (; 14 September 1804 – 3 February 1881) was an English ornithologist. He published a number of monographs on birds, illustrated by plates produced by his wife, Elizabeth Gould, and several other artists, including Edward Lear, ...

in 1862. Swinhoe called it the "Formosan cavern-bird" because it inhabits the dark, forested ravines in the mountains. It was formerly considered a subspecies of the

Malabar whistling thrush The Malabar whistling thrush (''Myophonus horsfieldii'') is a whistling thrush in the family ''Muscicapidae''. The bird has been called ''whistling schoolboy'' for the whistling calls that they make at dawn that have a very human quality. The ...

(''Myophonus horsfieldii''). The species is

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 ...

Distribution and habitat

This thrush is endemic to Taiwan. Its natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and 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 ...

is subtropical or tropical moist

montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...

s. It is found at elevations of up to .

Description

Its length is . The wings are long. It is mostly blackish-blue. Some feathers are navy blue or metallic blue. Some underwing coverts have white bases. The underparts are blackish. Its neck, breast and flanks are scaled. Its eyes are deep red, and its lores, bill and legs are black. The two sexes are alike. The juvenile is dull blackish, with a bluish tinge. The

gape The beak, bill, or rostrum is an external anatomical structure found mostly in birds, but also in turtles, non-avian dinosaurs and a few mammals. A beak is used for eating, preening, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for food, ...

of the juvenile is yellowish.

Behaviour and ecology

Activity is greatest at dawn and dusk. It jumps among rocks in forest streams. It often opens and closes its tail when it is sitting on a rock. Its call is a sharp whistle, described as ''screee''. Its song is loud and melodious whistles.

Breeding

The Taiwan whistling thrush is

monogamous Monogamy ( ) is a form of Dyad (sociology), dyadic Intimate relationship, relationship in which an individual has only one Significant other, partner during their lifetime. Alternately, only one partner at any one time (Monogamy#Serial monogamy, ...

. The breeding season is from late March to early September. There are two broods each breeding season. Nests are usually built in holes in rocks or trees. Nests are also built in human structures. They are made of twigs, roots, stems and moss. There are 2 to 4 eggs in a clutch. The eggs are pinkish with brownish or greyish marks. The female incubates the eggs. Incubation takes about 12 to 14 days. Newly hatched chicks are

altricial In biology, altricial species are those in which the young are underdeveloped at the time of birth, but with the aid of their parents mature after birth. Precocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the mome ...

. They have few feathers. Both parents feed the nestlings. Chicks leave the nest after about 21 days.

Diet

The diet consists of shrimp, earthworms, insects, frogs, reptiles, and fish, obtained by foraging in or near streams.

Status

The

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

has assessed ''M. insularis'' to be of

least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...

. Its population is estimated at 10,000 to 100,000 breeding pairs and is suspected to be decreasing due to

habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

. It was listed as other conservation-deserving wildlife in the schedule of protected species of the ''Taiwan Wildlife Conservation Act'', but was removed from the list in 2008.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q386368

Taiwan whistling thrush The Taiwan whistling thrush (''Myophonus insularis''), also known as the Formosan whistling thrush, is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is endemic to Taiwan. Taxonomy The Taiwan whistling thrush was collected by Robert Swinhoe and ...

Endemic birds of Taiwan

Taxa named by John Gould Taxonomy articles created by Polbot