First account of the breeding biology of Brown Parrotbill (Cholornis unicolor, Aves: Sylviidae) in Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve, Yunnan, China

Abstract

The Brown Parrotbill (Cholornis unicolor) is endemic to the central and eastern Himalayas and occurs in alpine bamboo thickets at an altitude of 1,980–3,600 m. Fieldwork was conducted in the Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve and cameras were used to record reproductive behaviors. Duration of incubation, nestling provisioning, and other parental care behaviors were extracted from the videos, and measurements of the nest, eggs, and nestlings were taken in the field. One nest with a clutch of 3 eggs was found 2.1 m above the ground in a bamboo thicket in May, thus extending the documented breeding season. Two of the three eggs hatched and both nestlings fledged. Both the male and the female incubated the eggs and brooded and provisioned the nestlings. The incubation period lasted for at least 13 d and the nestling period was 15 d. As incubation progressed, incubation-bout duration decreased and recess frequency increased. During the nestling period, the frequency of parental provisioning increased as the nestlings matured. Our observations provide the first description of the nest, nestlings, and incubation behavior of Brown Parrotbill. Alpine bamboo thickets are assumed to be an important breeding habitat for Brown Parrotbills, as this is typical for at least 6 parrotbill species.