White-eared Sibia

About the White-eared Sibia

The white-eared sibia (Heterophasia auricularis) is a bird in the laughingthrush family Leiothrichidae. The species is sometimes placed in the monotypic genus Malacias. It was first described by Robert Swinhoe in 1864. There are no subspecies.

It is endemic to the island of Taiwan, where it occupies a range of forest and woodland habitats. The species is a partial altitudinal migrant, breeding at 1,200–3,000 m (3,900–9,800 ft) above sea-level during the summer (or 2,780 m (9,120 ft) in the north of Taiwan), but with some individuals descending down to 700 m (2,300 ft) in winter, sometimes as low as 200 m (660 ft) in a particularly harsh spell. In the summer it inhabits evergreen forests, including mixed broadleaf coniferous forests, but will use deciduous forests in the winter.

The white-eared sibia is an elegant, long-tailed babbler, 22 to 24 cm (8.7–9.4 in) long and weighing an average of 40–50 g (1.4–1.8 oz). The head is black with a conspicuous white stripe through the eye, and the stripe ends in long white filamentous plumes. The wings and tail are deep blue-black, with a noticeable white wingbar. The upper back and breast is dark grey, and... Wikipedia →