The Common Tailorbird may not be as beautiful as the Forktailed Sunbird, but it is one of the most famous tropical birds in the world. Thanks to the Nobel Prize winning writer Rudyard Kipling, his Jungle Book made two Tailorbird characters, Darzee and his wife, household names.
The Common Tailorbird is a songbird, which is about 13cm long and belongs to the Warbler family. It lives mainly in tropical Asia including Hong Kong.
Although its greenish coloured body plumage does not stand out among the colourful tropical birds, its long upright tail and delicate long bill make this adorable little bird very popular with bird watchers.
The greenish colour provides good camouflage when it feeds on nectar,
insects and worms.
The Tailorbird got its name from the way its nest is built. The female Tailorbird usually finds one or two large living leaves and “punctures” holes on the edges of the leaves using its sharp bill as a needle. Then she “sews” them together just like a tailor, with spiders’ webs or fine grass. Finally, she will finish the nest after leaving an entrance hole at the top. What a clever bird!
Hopefully, I will be able to get a photo of a Common Tailorbird’s nest to share with you in the spring.
Hopefully, I will be able to get a photo of a Common Tailorbird’s nest to share with you in the spring.
3 comments:
Interesting bird beautifully captured! Enjoyed reading this post and looking at the photos. Looking forward to see a nest!
Well I think it is a beautiful bird. I love the sequence with the worm but the pictures in the red flowers is superb!
Very, very nice.... good work, i like this .
Greetings and thanks for your nice comments.
Joop
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