Breeding

The breeding ecology of this species is poorly known, as in many Terpsiphone species.

Breeding season for Northern populations (subspecies unirufa) is mainly from April to July, but nestlings have been recorded as early as second and third weeks of April on Negros, and the second week of May on Luzon. A male was collected in breeding condition in mid-March on Sibuyan, and in Mindoro four males were in breeding condition in April and May (30 Ripley, S. D., and D. S. Rabor (1958). Notes on a collection of birds from Mindoro Island, Philippines. Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, Bulletin 13:1–83. Close ). Four males that were collected in Catanduanes in early June had enlarged testes (70 Gonzalez, P. (1983). Birds of Catanduanes. Revised Edition. Zoological Papers No. 2, National Museum, Manila, Philippines. Close ).

Breeding season for Southern populations (subspecies cinnamomea) is recorded as April to June in the Philippines, with males collected in breeding condition in early May on Samar (2 Rand, A. L., and D. S. Rabor (1960). Birds of the Philippine Islands: Siquijor, Mount Malindang, Bohol, and Samar. Fieldiana Zoology 35(7):221–441. Close ). On Luzon, a nest was collected on 24 April (71 Ogilvie-Grant, W. R., and J. Whitehead (1898). On the nest and eggs of some rare Philippine birds. Ibis 40(2):231–247. Close ). A male collected in Samar on 4 April (KUBI 131900), had enlarged testes, 10 mm x 5 mm; one from Lubang on 28 April (KUBI 116303) had testes 12 mm x 7 mm. One individual collected on Samar on 15 June (KUBI 123414) had testes 9 mm x 6 mm; another one from Camiguin Sur on 15 June (KUBI 110490) had testes 10 mm x 4 mm; and one collected at Mt. Cagua, Luzon (KUBI 119867) on 13 July had testes 12 mm x 6 mm.

Site Characteristics

Details of the nest site are poorly known but one photographed was built in the fork of a branch in the understory (D. Allen, eBird).

Structure and Composition

The nest is a neat cup, rather elongate and narrow near the bottom and wide at the top. From the photograph (D. Allen, eBird), the nest appears to be attached to the tree fork by fine plant fibers and possibly spider webs, and to be partly covered on the outside by moss and perhaps lichens. In Luzon, a single nest had an inner lining of fine black fiber from palm leaf bases (71 Ogilvie-Grant, W. R., and J. Whitehead (1898). On the nest and eggs of some rare Philippine birds. Ibis 40(2):231–247. Close ). The nest is said to be exactly like those of Hypothymis except for being considerably larger (39 Whitehead, J. (1899). Field-notes on birds collected in the Philippine Islands in 1893-6. Ibis 41(1):81–111. Close ).

Size

The egg measurements were given as 22 mm x 16 mm (71 Ogilvie-Grant, W. R., and J. Whitehead (1898). On the nest and eggs of some rare Philippine birds. Ibis 40(2):231–247. Close ). The eggs are said to be exactly like those of Hypothymis except for being considerably larger (39 Whitehead, J. (1899). Field-notes on birds collected in the Philippine Islands in 1893-6. Ibis 41(1):81–111. Close ).

Color and Surface Texture

A clutch of three eggs in northern Luzon had brown and lilac splotches on a white background. The spots were concentrated at the larger end on one and more generally distributed on the other two (71 Ogilvie-Grant, W. R., and J. Whitehead (1898). On the nest and eggs of some rare Philippine birds. Ibis 40(2):231–247. Close , 72 Kennedy, R. S., P. C. Gonzales, E. C. Dickinson, H. C. Miranda, and T. H. Fisher (2000). A Guide to the Birds of the Philippines. Oxford University Press, Oxford and New York. Close ).

A fledgling with bursa 8 mm x 3 mm (KUBI 122068) was collected on 13 July at Mount Lumot, Mindanao, and one with 0% skull ossification and bursa 10 mm x 5 mm (KUBI 119719) was collected on 1 August on Polillo.