A Remarkably Stunning Combination Of Radiant Red And Black Is Only Enhanced By Perfectly Placed Splashes Of Striking Scarlet On His Wings – Meet The Scarlet Minivet!
A brilliantly colored forest bird that comes in color combinations of black and yellow, or black and crimson depending on their location!
MEET THE SCARLET MINIVET
The scarlet minivet (Pericrocotus speciosus), is a small passerine bird that is 20 -22 cm long. The male Scarlet minivet has black upperparts and head, with a shade of orange to scarlet on the belly. The rump and patches on the wings are tinged scarlet.
The shape and color of the wing patches vary across subspecies.
The female is grey above, though her face and upper parts are yellow, as are her tail edges, and also her rump and wing patches.
These birds are found in tropical southern Asia from the Indian subcontinent east to southern China, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
Scarlet minivets prefer to live in rainforests, both in lowland areas as well as mountainous areas. They also will frequent swamp forests and the occasional rural garden.
These birds tend to look for insects high in the forest canopy, hunting for them amongst the leafy foliage. It is not unusual to find them as part of mixed-species flocks.
Monogamous birds, Scarlet minivet’s breed between February and September, building a large, shallow, cup-shaped nest, woven together with small twigs and spider webs. They place their nest in the forest canopy. The female goes on to lay 2 – 4 eggs within, which she incubates alone for 14 – 18 days. Both parents help each other to feed the chicks after they hatch, with the chicks becoming fledged after 2 – 3 weeks.
Due to their large breeding range, Scarlet minivets are described as widespread and common. With a stable population, there is no evidence of any substantial declines or threats.