Green Iora Aegithina viridissima Scientific name definitions

11·5–12·8 cm; one immature 13·8 g. Male is mostly dark olive-green, lightening to pale yellow at rear edge of rump, clear yellow on carpus edge and central belly to undertail-coverts, whitish on rear flanks, “thigh” feathers green-tipped black; anterior face black, upper and lower eyelids broadly and contrastingly bright yellow; wings black, tips of median coverts and tips of outer webs of greater coverts white (forming two bars); uppertail-coverts and tail black; iris dark brown to red-brown; bill pale grey-blue with blackish culmen ridge; feet slaty-grey. Female has lores and full eyering yellow, rest of face and upperparts uniform medium olive-green, uppertail-coverts and tail green, wings as male but black parts washed dark olive, lesser coverts green, wingbars yellow; underparts paler-toned than above, yellowing from centre of belly, thighs yellow. Juvenile is like female; some males have parti-coloured tail, implying existence of a subadult plumage. Race thapsina differs from nominate principally in more generally yellowish underparts of female.

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Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Canopy, including giant emergent crowns, of lowland evergreen rainforest, also of its peatswamp-forest and white-sand pole-forest variants; locally, also tall secondary forest and overgrown tree plantations of rubber and Albizzia, also Trema orientalis shade over cocoa. Ranges into mangrove forest on Langkawi I, off NW Peninsular Malaysia. At plains level and on submontane slopes, to upper limit of c. 820 m.

Resident.

Invertebrates, including record of large caterpillar eaten; fledged young were fed on caterpillars. Food items taken from foliage and inflorescences; also attracted to insects gathered at canopy-level crops of figs (Ficus). Regular foraging units are a pair or a small party. Groups routinely join mixed-species foraging flocks of canopy insectivores; in Selangor (Peninsular Malaysia), was the second most frequent participating species among flocks surveyed in submontane Gombak Valley, with mean rate of 2·8 individuals per flock attended.

Song a high-pitched, lisping “itsu-tsi-tu tsi-tu”, or (described in Borneo) an even-pitched staccato sequence with upslurred first note, “wi-it dit-dit-dit-dee-dee”. Commonest loud call a whining, nasal disyllable with marked tonal step, “ji-sheur” or “ji-wier”; courting male gave higher-pitched “ji-jirijiri-jeh”. Repertoire limited in comparison with A. tiphia and A. nigrolutea.

Poorly known. Incubation and nestlings recorded in mid-Apr and early May, and nest-building in mid-May. One nest described as a small, neat cup of fibre and fine grass, lined with fine grass, felted with cobweb externally and on to vertical fork of small tree in forest gap, but on this information not distinguished from that of A. tiphia, and identification (and site) have been questioned; more recently, a nest located 8 m above ground in forest-edge tree. Clutch probably 2 eggs; no information on incubation and fledging periods; both pair-members tend nestlings, both also brood during rain. Suspected brood host of Banded Bay Cuckoo (Cacomantis sonneratii) in forest, but still unproven; apparent pair mobbed an Square-tailed Drongo-cuckoo (Surniculus lugubris).

Not globally threatened. Currently considered Near-threatened. Common in areas where forest canopy continuous. Formerly more widespread, but huge amounts of range now unsuitable owing to habitat removal; habitat loss greatly accelerated during last decades of 20th century. Little of what remains is still untouched, and stability of this species’ presence in plantations is unknown. Nominate race occurs in several protected areas, including Khao Pra-Bang Khram Wildlife Sanctuary, in Thailand, Taman Negara National Park, in Peninsular Malaysia, Way Kambas National Park, in Sumatra, and Danum Valley Conservation Area, in Borneo. Race thapsina has very small range, known to occur only on Siantan I, in Anamba Group, but possibly present also on other islands in that archipelago; reported presence on neighbouring Bunguran I (N Natunas) unconfirmed.