Any bird watching trip to Taiwan would be a poorer one if you did not get to spend some time with this splendid Bush Robin (Tarsiger johnstoniae). For some reason we seem to see more males rather than females.
The males are magnificently adorned – the rusty-rufous (sometimes reddish) breast band runs backwards over shoulders (as a collar) into the mantel, and involves the scapulars. The lower breast and belly are buff, being more yellow higher up. The combination of these colours with the white supercilium and slaty-black face and wings (wings tend to have some brown) makes for an elegant bird.
This is a Taiwan endemic confined to the sub-alpine and montane regions. Avifauna of Taiwan, 2nd edition states that the “habitat in the breeding season is 2,600 to 3,550m ASL and … in the non-breeding season occurs at an altitude of 1,650 to 2,820m of broad-leaf and coniferous forests, broad mixed forest…”
Amar-Singh HSS (Dato’ Dr)
Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
Location: Daxueshan National Forest Recreation Area, Taichung City County, Taiwan
Habitat: 1,750-2,500 meter ASL, forested region
Date: 15 & 17th January 2019
Equipment: Nikon D500 SLR with Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD, handheld with Rode VideoMic Pro Plus Shotgun Microphone
