White-bellied erpornis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids White-bellied erpornis |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Erpornis
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| Species: |
zantholeuca
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| Synonyms | |
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Yuhina zantholeuca |
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The white-bellied erpornis (Erpornis zantholeuca) is a small, unique bird. It's the only type of bird in its group, called Erpornis. You can find this bird in many countries across Asia. These include Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. This bird loves to live in warm, wet montane forests, which are forests found on mountains.
Where Does the Erpornis Belong?
For a long time, people thought the white-bellied erpornis was part of a different bird group called Yuhina. Because of this, it was often called the "white-bellied yuhina." However, scientists later found out that it's not closely related to the Yuhina birds at all.
Instead, the erpornis is actually a close relative of birds called vireos. Vireos are a type of songbird mostly found in the Americas. The erpornis is one of the few vireo relatives that lives in the Old World (Asia). This discovery helped scientists understand its true family tree.
There are several different kinds of white-bellied erpornis, called subspecies. Some of these are E. z zantholeuca, E. z tyrannula, E. z griseiloris, E. z sordida, E. z canescens, E. z interposita, E. z saani, and E. z brunnescens.
What Does the Erpornis Look Like?
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The white-bellied erpornis looks a lot like a vireo in its colors and how it moves. It's very agile and active. One special thing about this bird is its noticeable crest of feathers on its head. Many yuhina birds have crests, which is one reason why the erpornis was mistakenly grouped with them for so long.
The top of the erpornis's head, its back, wings, and tail are usually an olive green or golden-brown color. Its belly and the underside of its body are white.
This bird has strong muscles in its beak. It can use its beak to forcefully open things, like prying bark off trees. It does this to find insects hiding underneath.
Is the Erpornis Safe?
The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) lists the white-bellied erpornis as a species of "Least Concern." This means that scientists are not worried about it becoming endangered.
The erpornis lives across a very large area. It is also quite common in many places where it lives. For example, it's thought that there could be between 10,000 and 100,000 breeding pairs in China. A similar number might also live in Taiwan.
