Wildlifeof Bhutan
Bar-throated Minla
Babblers, Laughingthrushes & White-eyes
Photo: JJ Harrison (https://www.jjharrison.com.au/) · CC BY-SA 3.0 (May be cropped or resized)
Actinodura strigula
Basic stats
Diet
Almost exclusively insects in summer, such as beetles and caterpillars
Habitat
Montane forest at 1,800–3,750m; may descend to 1,300m in harsh winters; cup nest of grass, bamboo leaves, lichen and birch bark
Range
Nominate subspecies from central Nepal through India, southern China and Bhutan
Clutch size
2–4 eggs
The bar-throated minla, or chestnut-tailed minla, is a member of the laughingthrush and babbler family Leiothrichidae, traditionally placed in Minla but now in Actinodura. The nominate subspecies is found from central Nepal through India, southern China and Bhutan. It occupies montane forest habitats from 1,800 to 3,750m and is mainly resident, but may move down to as low as 1,300m in harsh winters (Wikipedia, general species account).
The diet varies by season: in summer it is almost exclusively insectivorous, taking beetles, caterpillars and other insects, and in the non-breeding season it joins flocks of other babblers and yuhinas, feeding from the canopy down to near the forest floor. Two to four eggs are laid in a cup of grass, bamboo leaves, lichen and birch bark.
Quick answers
- What does the Bar-throated Minla eat?
- Almost exclusively insects in summer, such as beetles and caterpillars
- What habitat does the Bar-throated Minla live in?
- Montane forest at 1,800–3,750m; may descend to 1,300m in harsh winters; cup nest of grass, bamboo leaves, lichen and birch bark
- Where is the Bar-throated Minla found?
- Nominate subspecies from central Nepal through India, southern China and Bhutan
- How many eggs does the Bar-throated Minla lay?
- 2–4 eggs