Collared Bush-Robin Tarsiger johnstoniae Scientific name definitions

Endemic to the mountains of Taiwan, the Collared Bush-Robin is arguably the most distinctive of a six-species-strong genus (Tarsiger) of East Asian muscicapids. Whereas males of most of the other species have largely vibrant blue upperparts and variable amounts of red/orange on the underparts, the male Collared Bush-Robin has a black head and upperparts, a white supercilium, an orange-chestnut band extending around its breast and splitting into a broad line on the scapulars, and the underparts are orange-brown with white on the lower belly and vent. In contrast, females of the present species (like those of many other Tarsiger) have the head and upperparts olive-brown with a faint supercilium, brownish-orange throat and belly, and white vent; they are very similar to the local subspecies (formosanus) of White-browed Bush-Robin (Tarsiger indicus). One other species of Tarsiger, Red-flanked Bluetail (Tarsiger cyanurus), is exclusively a winter visitor to the island. Collared Bush-Robin is a typical species of mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forests, coniferous forests, and alpine bamboo grasslands, in summer principally above 2,000 m, to elevations around 3,700 m, but in winter it is recorded down to 1,100 m, and vacates some areas completely if temperatures fall as low as 3°C. The breeding season generally lasts from late March to mid August, and the species sometimes raises two broods in a year.