| Leafbirds | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Golden-fronted leafbird (Chloropsis aurifrons) | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Parvorder: | Passerida |
| Family: | Chloropseidae Wetmore, 1960 |
| Genus: | Chloropsis Jardine &Selby, 1827 |
| Species | |
See text | |
Theleafbirds (Chloropseidae) are a family of smallpasserinebird species found in theIndian subcontinent andSoutheast Asia. They were formerly grouped with theioras andfairy-bluebirds in the familyIrenidae. As presently defined, the leafbird family is monogeneric, with all species placed in thegenusChloropsis.
The genusChloropsis was introduced in 1827 by the English naturalistsWilliam Jardine andPrideaux Selby with thetype species asTurdus cochinchinensisLatham, theJavan leafbird.[1][2] The genus name is from theAncient Greek χλωρος/khlōros meaning "green" and οψις/opsis meaning "appearance".[3] The genus was formerly placed with the fairy-bluebirds in the familyIrenidae[2] but was moved to its own family, Chloropseidae, by the American ornithologistAlexander Wetmore in 1960.[4]
A largemolecular phylogenetic study of thepasserines published in 2019 found that the family Chloropseidae wassister to the family Irenidae containing the fairy-bluebirds.[5]
The leafbirds range in size from 14 to 21 cm (5.5–8.3 in), and in weight from 15 to 48 g (0.53–1.69 oz).[6] They resemblebulbuls, but whereas that group tends to be drab in colour, leafbirds are brightlyplumaged, with the predominant green over the body giving rise to their common name. The family is mostlysexually dimorphic in their plumage, this can vary from the highly dimorphicorange-bellied leafbird to thePhilippine leafbird, which exhibits no sexual dimorphism. Most of the differences between the sexes are in the extent of the other colours in the plumage, particularly in the colours around the head and the blue or black face mask, with females having less colour and a less extensive (or absent) mask.[6] Some species have blue on the wings and tail. The plumage of juvenile birds is a duller version of the female's. To human ears, theirsongs are melodious, and several species are good mimics. The calls include whistles and chatters.[7]
Like bulbuls, leafbirds drop many body feathers when they are handled. This may confuse predators, especiallysnakes.[7]
Leafbirds are always found in trees and shrubs. Most are restricted to evergreen forests except thegolden-fronted leafbird andJerdon's leafbird which live in deciduous monsoon forests, and theorange-bellied leafbird, which occurs in deciduous forests. Within this requirement, they occupy all broadleaf forest types in the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. The highest altitude they occur at is 2500 m (8200 feet).[7] Some species, such as theblue-masked leafbird, have montane distributions, rarely descending below 1000 m.[6]
The orange-bellied leafbird and the golden-fronted leafbird are amongst the more widespread species, with large ranges across mainland Asia. Some species have more restricted distributions, such as theyellow-throated leafbird, which isendemic to the Philippine island ofPalawan, and theBornean leafbird, restricted to northern Borneo. In general there are seldom more than three species occurring in the same area, although five species co-occur in the submontane forests ofSumatra. Co-occurring species are usually well-spaced on the spectrum of size, to reduce competition.[6]
Leafbirds usually feed in thecanopy, eatinginsects and somefruit and nectar. Prey is searched for by nimbly moving along the branch ends andgleaned. They are also capable of hover-gleaning to obtain prey, and will pursue flushed prey into the air or even as far as the forest floor. The extent to which the leafbirds consume nectar is a matter of some debate; records are more common in Southern Asia compared to South East Asia.[6] Some species joinmixed feeding flocks now and then; others defend the blooming and fruiting trees and bushes where they forage.[7]
Unlike most tropical Asian passerines, the nests of leafbirds are not located low down in the forest, but are instead found on the ends of branches near the tree crown. As such the nests of many species have rarely, if ever, been seen. The nests are open cups; of the few known, they are built of fine stems, leaf parts and rootlets.[6] Some hang from thin horizontal shoots of trees; in others the rim is attached to a pair of vertical twigs. Females lay 2 or 3 pinkisheggs.[7] The only information forincubation times comes from captive birds, and incubation lasts around 14 days. Incubation is apparently performed only by the female, although in at least two species the male feeds the incubating females.[6]
Leafbirds are attractive birds and, combined with an attractive song and capacity to mimic sounds, they have become very popular cagebirds. The majority of the trade in this family is confined to Asia. Some populations have been locally depleted by the massive numbers captured for the trade. Overall the eleven species are mostly still common in suitable habitat, although the amount of suitable habitat has declined greatly with deforestation. Over half of leafbird species are either threatened or near threatened. Thegreater green leafbird, theblue-winged leafbird and theSumatran leafbird areendangered because of trapping for the cage bird trade. One species, thePhilippine leafbird, is listed asvulnerable due tohabitat loss. Thelesser green leafbird and theblue-masked leafbird are listed asnear threatened.[6]
| Male | Female | Common name | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Philippine leafbird | Chloropsis flavipennis | Philippines (Leyte,Mindanao, andCebu) | |
| Yellow-throated leafbird | Chloropsis palawanensis | Philippines (Palawan) | |
 |  | Greater green leafbird | Chloropsis sonnerati | Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, and Thailand |
 | .jpg) | Lesser green leafbird | Chloropsis cyanopogon | Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, and Thailand |
.jpg) |  | Blue-winged leafbird | Chloropsis moluccensis[8] | Borneo and southern Sumatra |
 | Javan leafbird | Chloropsis cochinchinensis[8] | Java | |
 | _(cropped).jpg) | Jerdon's leafbird | Chloropsis jerdoni | India and Sri Lanka |
| Bornean leafbird | Chloropsis kinabaluensis | Borneo | ||
|  | Golden-fronted leafbird | Chloropsis aurifrons | Indian subcontinent and south-western China, to south-east Asia andSumatra |
| Sumatran leafbird | Chloropsis media | Indonesia | ||
 |  | Orange-bellied leafbird | Chloropsis hardwickii | central and eastern Himalayas, Yunnan and Southeast Asia |
| Blue-masked leafbird | Chloropsis venusta | Indonesian island of Sumatra |
