Black-breasted Parrotbill Paradoxornis flavirostris Scientific name definitions

A poorly known denizen of the tall, wet grasslands of the Brahmaputra floodplain, the Black-breasted Parrotbill exemplifies how little conservation attention has focused on South Asian grassland birds. A unique member (both in appearance and in its phylogenetic relationships) of the floodplain grassland biome, its babbler-like appearance and huge yellow bill led John Gould to coin the generic name Paradoxornis for this "paradox" bird. Parrotbills are today classed as a member of the Sylviidae, and this species is one of the few to specialize on lowland reed swamps and tall grassland. Formerly considered common to fairly common in its preferred habitat, this species went unrecorded for several decades in the 1900s, and there have been no recent records from Bangladesh. Since the 1990s, surveys have found it at a handful of localities in India, and it is generally scarce to very locally common. Drainage and conversion of floodplain grasslands continue to threaten this species, and its future must be considered uncertain in the face of planned hydroelectric projects near some of its final strongholds. This article summarizes the little that is known about the species' biology, with a summary of recent records and its conservation status. Urgent measures are required to help preserve the last remaining healthy populations.