Ashy tailorbird

Orthotomus ruficeps

Photo by David Yeo (Flickr)

Common name:
ashy tailorbird (en); costureiro-de-cabeça-ruiva (pt); couturière à tête rousse (fr); sastrecillo ceniciento (es); rostwangen-schneidervogel (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Sylviidae

Range:
This species is found is South-East Asia, in Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, the Philippines and Indonesia.

Size:
They are 11-12 cm long and weigh 5-7 g.

Habitat:
The ashy tailorbird is mostly found in moist tropical forests and mangroves, but can also be found in swamp forests, dry forests, second growths and rural gardens.

Diet:
They eat small insects including caterpillars, beetles, ants and small flies.

Breeding:
The ashy tailorbird breeds in May-November. The adults build the nest by using a large leaf or 2-3 smaller leaves, pulling the edges together and helding these together with strands or cotton or spider webs drawn through holes pierced along the leaf edges. The nest is lined with soft cottony materials. The female lays 2-4 white or pinkish eggs with brown or purple spots, which are incubated for 16 days. The chicks fledge 12-14 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a large breeding range and is reported to be common within this range. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.