Grey-faced Liocichla
Encyclopedia
The Grey-faced Liocichla, Liocichla omeiensis, is a passerine
bird in the Old World babbler
family
. The species, also known as the Omei Shan or Emei Shan Liocichla, is endemic
to mountain ranges in Southern Sichuan
, China
. It is closely related to the Bugun Liocichla
, a species only described in 2006, and which it closely resembles.
The Grey-faced Liocichla is an olive-grey coloured bird with red wing patches. The plumage
on the face is grey with a slight red ring on each side of the face. The species feeds in the undergrowth of semi-tropical rainforest
. It is an altitudinal migrant
, spending the summer months above 1000 m and moving below 600m in the winter.
The Grey-faced Liocichla is considered vulnerable by the IUCN. It is threatened by habitat loss through logging and conversion to agriculture. Some populations are protected inside reserves, such as the Emei Shan Protected Scenic Site.
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
bird in the Old World babbler
Old World babbler
The Old World babblers or timaliids are a large family of mostly Old World passerine birds. They are rather diverse in size and coloration, but are characterised by soft fluffy plumage. These are birds of tropical areas, with the greatest variety in Southeast Asia and the Indian Subcontinent...
family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
. The species, also known as the Omei Shan or Emei Shan Liocichla, is endemic
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
to mountain ranges in Southern Sichuan
Sichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. It is closely related to the Bugun Liocichla
Bugun Liocichla
The Bugun Liocichla, Liocichla bugunorum, is a passerine bird species from the Old World babbler family closely related to the Grey-faced Liocichla. First spotted in 1995, it was described as a new species in 2006 by Ramana Athreya. The description was made without the collection of a type...
, a species only described in 2006, and which it closely resembles.
The Grey-faced Liocichla is an olive-grey coloured bird with red wing patches. The plumage
Plumage
Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
on the face is grey with a slight red ring on each side of the face. The species feeds in the undergrowth of semi-tropical rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
. It is an altitudinal migrant
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
, spending the summer months above 1000 m and moving below 600m in the winter.
The Grey-faced Liocichla is considered vulnerable by the IUCN. It is threatened by habitat loss through logging and conversion to agriculture. Some populations are protected inside reserves, such as the Emei Shan Protected Scenic Site.
