Pityriasidae Bristlehead
Version: 1.0 — Published March 4, 2020
Introduction
This is the sole bird family endemic to Borneo, home of one of the most diverse avifaunas in Asia. The Bristlehead has much exotic appeal. Though its body form and beak are rather like those of a large-headed butcherbird, its head and body are painted with brilliant red, topped off with a naked yellow crown covered with the prickly bristles that give it its name. It is something of a cipher, traveling through and above the forest canopy in groups of a dozen or so, and seldom maintaining a regular schedule that can be anticipated or understood. These travelers keep in touch with amphibian-like nasal and guttural calls somewhat reminiscent of those given by the more social jays.
Habitat
Bristleheads occupy a wide range of forested habitats in Borneo, including undisturbed primary forest, mangroves, montane heath forest, and Acacia plantations.
Diet and Foraging
Bristleheads feed most frequently on large invertebrates, such as katydids, cicadas, and stick insects, and less commonly on small vertebrates, such as lizards and frogs, as well as small amounts of fruit.
Breeding
Only anecdotal information on Bristlehead breeding biology exists, some of which suggests the presence of cooperative breeding in this species. Apparently, no nest has been described with a published description, though photos on the internet look like birds carrying nest material. Nothing is known of the patterns of parental care.
Conservation Status
While the Bristlehead does not face any immediate conservation concerns, habitat destruction and degradation continue on the island of Borneo, and presumed declines in this species have led to it being listed as near threatened (100%; 1 NT).
Systematics History
The Bristlehead is part of the corvoid radiation of oscine passerines, where it is part of a clade that is sometimes treated as its own superfamily, Malaconotoidea (Cracraft 2014). Its earlier taxonomic history is convoluted; it has variously been placed in at least seven different avian families, including Laniidae, Artamidae, Sturnidae, Timaliidae, and Vangidae. Although the position of the Bristlehead is not completely resolved, recent studies have indicated it is sister to Malaconotidae or Aegithinidae (Moyle et al. 2006b, Fuchs et al. 2012, Aggerbeck et al. 2014).
Conservation Status
Least Concern |
0%
|
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Near Threatened |
0%
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Vulnerable |
100%
|
Endangered |
0%
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Critically Endangered |
0%
|
Extinct in the Wild |
0%
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Extinct |
0%
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Not Evaluated |
0%
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Data Deficient |
0%
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Unknown |
0%
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Data provided by IUCN (2023) Red List. More information