Fun Ashy Minivet Facts For Kids
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The ashy minivet, Pericrocotus divaricatus, is a type of bird that belongs to the family genus Campephagidae Pericrocotus. Most species of minivets have shades of yellow, orange, and red in their plumage. But the ashy minivet species has only greys, whites, and blacks.
The male and female have moderately long white-gray plumage. This species male is distinctive with a white face.
It also has black nape, although females can be confused with the female Swinhoe's minivet species. Both the sexes' outer tail feathers are white. These birds forage in the canopy often along with other passerine birds and combine with mixed-species foraging flocks (mixed hunting party).
The height range of the ashy minivet is between 7.2-7.8 in (18.5-20 cm). The male is gray above and whitish on the bottom, with a white face and black nape, the ashy minivet also possesses a black cap on its white forehead.
It also has a white band across the flight feathers. The outer tail plumages of the male are white.
The bill and feet are black. The color of the female cap is gray, apart from a black band between the bill and eye and a narrow white band above it. Minivets have shades of different colors, which makes them unique and attractive.
The call of these passerine birds is a high-pitched metallic trill. It is a long-distance migrant bird that moves from the north and spends its winter in South and Southeast Asia.
If you like to know more about birds, you may check out eastern kingbird facts and palm warbler facts.
Ashy Minivet Interesting Facts
What type of animal is an ashy minivet?
The ashy minivet is a type of bird species.
What class of animal does ashy minivet belong to?
They belong to the Aves class of animal and from the family Campephagidae.
How many ashy minivets are there in the world?
The population size of ashy minivets has not been identified.
Where does the ashy minivet live?
The ashy minivet Pericrocotus divaricatus prefers to live in the tropical and subtropical forests, evergreen forests, mangroves, dry scrublands, swamp forests, and grasslands, where there is an abundance of food to forage.
What is an ashy minivet's habitat?
They live in artificial and natural ecosystems and habitats. The artificial environments include city gardens, urban regions, open areas with scattered plantations, and cultivated regions.
The natural environments of these birds include tropical and subtropical forests, mangroves above high tide levels, swamp forests, and shrublands. Their habitat can be found in regions including East Asia, North America, Northeast China, Japan, and much more. They are non-migratory bird species, but when the weather conditions get worse, they may move short distances.
Who do ashy minivets live with?
The ashy minivet, Pericrocotus divaricatus, lives alone, in a pair, or family. They forage in the canopies of trees for insects and arthropods, sometimes joining mixed-species feeding flocks, which are the groups of insectivorous birds of various species that combine with each other and move together while foraging.
How long does ashy minivet live?
The lifespan of this bird species is around 11 years, but it varies from individual to individual.
How do they reproduce?
All ashy minivets (Pericrocotus divaricatus) are oviparous birds that belong to the genus Pericrocotus in the family Campephagidae and order Passeriformes. They breed from March to June in Siberia, Korea, China, and Japan and lay their eggs from May to July.
The wide shallow cup-like nest for the eggs is constructed on tree branches and built by the female. Made of roots, rootlets, grass, and twigs, the nest is placed high in the tree canopy. The females lay four to six eggs in one clutch.
Both parents incubate the eggs and raise the offspring. Chicks take between 16-18 days to hatch.
What is their conservation status?
The status of the ashy minivet (Pericrocotus divaricatus) birds is considered as of Least concern as there is an increase in the population of these birds on Amami Island since 1985. However, in South Asia, they are considered rare birds.
Ashy Minivet Fun Facts
What do ashy minivets look like?
The greatest numbers of minivets have shades of yellow, orange, and red in their plumage, but the ashy minivet pericrocotus divaricatus species has only grays, whites, and blacks. The male and female are 7-7.8 in (18 to 20 cm) long and have gray and white plumage.
The male of this bird species is distinctive with a white coloration on their face, along with a black nape, although females can be confused with the female of other minivet species as they look alike. The male is gray above and whitish on the underside.
It has a black cap on the white forehead and a white band across the flight feathers. The ashy minivet outer tail feathers are white.
The bill and feet are black-colored. The color of the female cap is gray, apart from a black band between the bill and eye and a narrow white band overhead.
How cute are they?
With their colors of black, gray, and white, ashy minivets are considered cute birds, and people like to keep them as pets.
How do they communicate?
All ashy minivets communicate through a high-pitched metallic trill that sounds like 'hirihiri hirihiri.'
How big is the ashy minivet?
The ashy minivet, Pericrocotus divaricatus, has a 7-7.8 in (18 to 20 cm) body length.
How fast can an ashy minivet fly?
As a rare bird, their flight speed has not been identified yet.
How much does ashy minivet weigh?
The weight of an ashy minivet passerine is around 1 oz (25 g).
What are the male and female names of the species?
There are no sex-specific names for ashy minivets.
What would you call a baby ashy minivet?
There is no specific name for a baby ashy minivet.
What do they eat?
The passerine ashy minivet mostly forages in the canopy, often along with flocks of other birds for insects, moths, caterpillars, earthworms, small, winged insects such as dragonflies, and much more.
Are they poisonous?
No, ashy minivet species are non-poisonous birds.
Would they make a good pet?
Yes, they would make a great pet, with their cute features and small size, along with their friendly nature.
Did you know...
Ashy minivet was first reported on the Indian mainland in the year 1965.
This bird got its name from the fact that they have ashy, grayish body coloration among the minivets species.
Do ashy minivets migrate?
The ashy minivet, Pericrocotus divaricatus, has an enormous breeding range, which is moderately common in Japan and the northern and eastern regions of China and in Southeast Asia. It is a long-distance migrating bird that moves to South and Southeast Asia, as far south as Borneo, Philippines, and Sumatra in winters.
What is the difference between ashy minivet and Scarlet minivet?
Most minivets have different color shades of yellow, orange, and red across their body. But the ashy minivet pericrocotus divaricatus species has only grays, whites, and blacks.
Both the male and female have gray tails with white flight feathers. The outer tail plumages of the males are generally white. The male is distinctive with a white face and black nape, although females can be confused with the females of other species of the same genus family.
In contrast, the scarlet minivet species also belongs to the same family genus. But the males are orange with black from the top, whereas the females are commonly yellow with grayish-olive upper parts.
There is no red in their plumage. This species of birds are slightly larger than the ashy minivets, with long wings and strong beaks. The males have black-colored heads and upper parts and scarlet underparts.
The range map of these birds includes considerable geographic variations and several disjunct populations. While the voice of ashy minivets is a high-pitched metallic trill, the scarlet minivets communicate with pleasant whistling sounds.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds including secretary bird facts and rose-breasted grosbeak facts.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Ashy minivet coloring pages.
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