Golden-fronted Leafbird
Encyclopedia
The Golden-fronted Leafbird (Chloropsis aurifrons) is a species
of leafbird
. It is a common resident breeder in India
, Sri Lanka
, and parts of Southeast Asia
. It often includes the Sumatran Leafbird
(C. media) from Sumatra
as a subspecies
, but the two differ extensively in, among others, morphology
.
Its habitat is forest and scrub. It builds its nest in a tree, laying 2-3 eggs. This species eats insects and berries.
The adult is green-bodied with a black face and throat bordered with yellow. It has an orange forehead and blue moustachial line, but lacks the blue flight feathers and tail sides of Blue-winged Leafbird
. Young birds have a plain green head.
The southern Indian race, C. a. frontalis, has a narrower yellow border to black face. The throat is black and it has a blue sub-moustachial stripe and duller orange forehead. Towards the extreme south of India and Sri Lanka
the race insularis occurs which is slightly smaller than frontalis.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of leafbird
Leafbird
The leafbirds are a family of small passerine bird species found in India, Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia. They are one of only three bird families that are entirely endemic to the Indomalayan ecozone. They were formerly grouped with the ioras and fairy-bluebirds in the family Irenidae...
. It is a common resident breeder in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, and parts of Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
. It often includes the Sumatran Leafbird
Sumatran Leafbird
The Sumatran Leafbird is a species of bird in the Chloropseidae family. It is endemic to forest and plantations in Sumatra in Indonesia. It has often been included as a subspecies of the Golden-fronted Leafbird The Sumatran Leafbird (Chloropsis media) is a species of bird in the Chloropseidae...
(C. media) from Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
as a subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
, but the two differ extensively in, among others, morphology
Morphology (biology)
In biology, morphology is a branch of bioscience dealing with the study of the form and structure of organisms and their specific structural features....
.
Its habitat is forest and scrub. It builds its nest in a tree, laying 2-3 eggs. This species eats insects and berries.
The adult is green-bodied with a black face and throat bordered with yellow. It has an orange forehead and blue moustachial line, but lacks the blue flight feathers and tail sides of Blue-winged Leafbird
Blue-winged Leafbird
The Blue-winged Leafbird is a species of leafbird found in forest and second growth from far north-eastern India and throughout Southeast Asia as far east as Borneo and as far south as Java. It commonly includes Jerdon's Leafbird from the Indian Subcontinent, and the Bornean Leafbird The...
. Young birds have a plain green head.
The southern Indian race, C. a. frontalis, has a narrower yellow border to black face. The throat is black and it has a blue sub-moustachial stripe and duller orange forehead. Towards the extreme south of India and Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
the race insularis occurs which is slightly smaller than frontalis.