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Researchers film rare birds mating

The complete breeding process of an endemic bird subspecies has been documented on video, a researcher said yesterday.

The video, which recorded the nesting, hatching and brooding of the Vivid Niltava subspecies in Pingtung County, will be a precious resource for bird lovers, said Tang Hsiao-yu (湯曉虞), director of the Endemic Species Research Institute.

The middle-sized Vivid Niltava measures about 15cm to 16cm in length, resides in forests at elevations ranging from 1,000m to 2,500m and breeds between April and August, Tang said.

The subspecies, protected under the Wildlife Conservation Act (野生動物保育法), lays two to four eggs each time, with a hatching period of about two weeks and brooding time a little longer, Tang said, adding that the bird feeds babies with insects such as moths and butterflies or their larvae.

The male of the Vivid Niltava subspecies found in Taiwan is deep purple blue on the head and back and bright orange below the throat and face, while the female is olive-brown overall and lighter below, with a light buffy throat and grayish brown crown and nape, Tang said.

The video was made by a group of researchers at the institute’s Medium Altitude Experimental Station in Kaohsiung County.

The researchers have contributed much to establishing a database of the life history, distribution and habitat of bird species living in medium altitude areas, which are host to about 80 bird species, including eight endemic species and 38 endemic subspecies, Tang said.


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