AVIS-IBIS

Birds of Indian Subcontinent

78. Aegithaliseus eoneinnus manipureasis

(78) Aegithaliseus concinnus manipurensis Hume.
HOME’S RID-HEADED TIT or THE MANIPUR RED-HEADED TIT.
AEgithaliscus concinnus manipurensis, Fauna B. I., Birds, 2nd ed. vol. i, p. 94.
The breeding distribution of the Manipur Red-headed Tit is from, the Khasia Hills, where it is very rare, through the Naga Hills to extreme East Lakhimpur South and East of the Brahma-pootra, Manipur, Lushai Hills and the adjoining Chin Hills. It is common in the Naga Hills above 7,000 feet and also on the higher ranges of the Chin Hills.
I found one nest of this tiny Tit in Shillong at 5,000 feet in March, built in. a Pine-tree (Pinus khasiana) in my compound in Shillong, 5,000 feet, but it was deserted before any eggs were laid. Tytler took a good many nests near Kohima between 7,000 and 9,000 feet in 1909. He describes the nests as “egg-shaped balls of moss, lichen and seed down, held together with cobwebs and densely lined with a mass of small feathers. One nest measured about 61/2" x 4.3/4" They nearly always built in tufts at the end of branches of Pine-trees and, as a rule, are placed fairly low down, at other times at considerable heights.”
Hopwood and Mackenzie took several nests in April and May in the Chin Hills. Mackenzie describes one nest which differs con¬siderably in. many respects from most Red-headed Tits’ nests, but which he found to be the normal type in that district.
He says "the Manipur Red-headed Tit builds a most beautiful little hanging nest, domed like a Long-tailed Tit’s, but neater. It was found on a hill side in a jungle of big trees and thick under-growth. It was placed about 15 feet up in a little tree, hanging, from the end of a small branch. The opening of the nest was near the top, and the nest itself was made of seed-stems of grass, only very fine pieces being used, and it was plastered all over with cobwebs, lichen, grass fragments, feathers etc., with a marvellously soft lining of feathers. The bird seems to like bright feathers and there were some of the Scarlet Minivet, Jungle-fowl, some breast feathers of Mr. Hume’s Pheasant as well as others. The nest was taken at about 6,000 ft. elevation.”
Hopwood also refers to the bright coloured feathers used for the lining of a nest found by him, similar in construction to the above except that it was nearly all moss outside.
Three or four seems to he the full clutch as Tytler, Hopwood and Mackenzie all found three eggs more or less incubated. They are indistinguishable from those of the preceding bird but even smaller and on an average decidedly paler. Nineteen eggs average 13.1 x 10.4 mm. : maxima 14.0 x 10.7 and 13.2 x 10.75 mm. ; minima 12.7 x 10.0 mm.

BookTitle: 
The Nidification Of Birds Of The Indian Empire
Reference: 
Baker, Edward Charles Stuart. The nidification of birds of the Indian Empire. Vol. 1. 1932.
Title in Book: 
78. Aegithaliseus eoneinnus manipureasis
Spp Author: 
Hume.
Book Author: 
Edward Charles Stuart Baker
CatNo: 
78
Year: 
1932
Page No: 
74
Common name: 
Homes Red-headbd Tit Or Manipur Red-headed Tit
M_ID: 
22902
M_SN: 
Aegithalos concinnus manipurensis
Volume: 
Vol. 1
id: 
13297

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