Fire-tailed Myzornis Myzornis pyrrhoura Scientific name definitions

11–13 cm; 10–13 g. Bright green species with black mask and crown scalloping, red flash in black-and-white wing, red-sided tail, and rather long, thin, slightly decurved black bill. Male has crown and entire upperparts bright green, brightest around narrow black mask from bill base to behind eye, crown with rounded black feather centers (creating scalloped effect); underparts a shade paler, with dull soft-edged reddish triangle from mid-throat to upper breast, pale blue wash on lower breast and belly, deep orange-buff lower belly and vent; primary coverts tipped white, upperwing black with white tips, but outer primaries fringed dark blue basally, white distally, inner primaries and secondaries fringed red basally and shading through yellow to white distally, tertials with white inner webs; tail dull dark green with fiery-red outer fringes and broad black tips; iris dark brown to red; bill black; legs yellowish-brown. Female is similar to male but duller and less glossy, with narrow black centers on crown feathers, more pale blue on underparts, breast triangle fainter, vent duller. Juvenile apparently undescribed.

Central Nepal east to Bhutan, Arunachal Pradesh (India), northern Myanmar, and southern and southeastern Tibet, northwestern and western Yunnan (China).

Mossy juniper and rhododendron scrub, oak-rhododendron forest, bushes, low trees in evergreen forest, and bamboo. At 2000–3950 m in summer in Indian subcontinent and Tibet; mainly above 2800 in Nepal and Bhutan, and descending to 1600 m in winter; at 2440–3660 m, down to 1800 m in winter, in Myanmar; rarely, to 4265 m in China.

Spiders (Araneae), small flies (Diptera) and other insects; also berries, including raspberries, flower nectar and tree sap. Regularly visits flowering shrubs and trees (rhododendron, Berberis etc.) for nectar and insects. Found singly, in parties of 3–5 individuals, or in small flocks of up to 30 (last possibly associated with concentrated food resource), often with other species, including other small babblers. Forages in bushes and shrubs, sometimes up in trees; also searches among moss on branches and tree trunks. Hovers in front of flowers and probes into them; alights on trunks to drink oozing sap; finds insects behind bark. Occasionally makes flycatching sallies.

Calls include extremely thin, high-pitched, often quickly repeated “si” notes, hence sometimes a tittering  “si-si-si-si-si” in irregular bursts, some notes slightly lower and stressed; used for contact.

Apr–Jun in India and Nepal, but pair with juveniles in mid-Sept at 3400 m in Bhutan suggests relatively extended breeding season. Nest, built by both sexes, a globular structure of moss, lined with flakes of rhododendron bark, 1–6 m above ground and embedded in existing moss on bank or rock face or moss and lichen on trunk of large juniper. Eggs white; nestlings fed by both sexes. No other information.

Not globally threatened. Generally somewhat scarce. Uncommon and local in central and eastern Nepal, where local in Langtang National Park. Frequently recorded but sparsely distributed throughout temperate and alpine zones in Bhutan, where present in Thrumshingla National Park. Locally common east from Sikkim to northeastern India, where present in and/or near Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary, in Arunachal Pradesh. Uncommon in Myanmar. Rare in China.