Black chinned yuhina

Yuhina nigrimenta

Common name:
black-chinned yuhina (en); iuína-de-garganta-preta (pt); yuhina à menton noir (fr); yuhina barbinegra (es); meisenyuhina (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Timaliidae


Range:
This Asian species is found from northern India, Nepal and Bhutan, through Bangladesh, and into southern China, Myanmar, Cambodja and Vietnam.


Size:
These birds are 10 cm long and weigh 9-10 g.


Habitat:
Black-chinned yuhinas are found in tropical and sub-tropical moist forests, at altitudes of 200-2.800 m.


Diet:
They mostly eat seeds, fruits and small insects.


Breeding:
Black-chinned yuhinas build a cup-shaped nest in a scrub or climbing plant, where the female lays 1-3 eggs. The eggs are incubated for 16 days and the chicks fledge 14-17 days after hatching.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as common to rare. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction and fragmentation.