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consulting the authorBased mostly on my
consulting the authorBased mostly on my own field notes, this brief write-up covers the birds & mammals noted by or goodbirdmail(at)126.com Inquiries concerning Oriental Bird Club’s FundraisertripsHimalayan GriffonGyps himalayensis Ten bird-days at Wolong. Noted up high on two dates. Accipiter virgatus Three bird-days. Singles noted on three dates. Eurasian SparrowhawkAccipiter nisus Four bird-days. Noted on two dates at Wolong. Northern GoshawkAccipiter gentiles Two at Wolong on 25Common BuzzardButeo buteo japonicus One at Wolong on 24Black EagleIctinaetus malayensis Three bird-days. Noted at Wawu Shan on two dates. Golden EagleAquila chrysaetos One near-adult at Wolong on 24Snow PigeonColumba leuconota 28 up high at Wolong on 24Wedge-tailed Green PigeonSingles on two dates at Wawu Shan. Large Hawk-CuckooCuculus sparverioides 11 bird-days. Noted daily at Wawu Shan over 27 – 2Oriental CuckooCuculus saturatus 2) 1

9 bird-days. A singleton at Wolong on 25
9 bird-days. A singleton at Wolong on 25, and up to six almost daily at Wawu Shan. Violet CuckooChrysococcyx xanthorhynchus Three bird-days at Wawu Shan. Heard-onlies: one on 29 & two on 1Oriental Scops OwlOtus sunia Five bird-days at Wawu Shan. Heard-onlies: one on 28 & four on 1Chinese Tawny OwlStrix nivicola 3) One heard at Wawu Shan on 29Collared OwletGlaucidium brodiei Six bird-days. Noted on four dates – all but one heard-onlies. 12 bird-days. Noted on three dates at Wawu Shan – main event ten on 1Red-billed Blue MagpieUrocissa erythrorhyncha 25+ bird-days. Noted on eight dates. Nucifraga caryocatactes Nine bird-days. Noted on two dates at Wolong – interestingly, one was seen flycatching… Red-billed ChoughPyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax Five bird-days. Noted up high at Wolong on two dates. Alpine ChoughPyrrhocorax graculus 61 (of which 55 DW) up high at Wolong on 23Large-billed CrowCorvus macrorhynchos 18 bird-days

. Noted on six dates. ‘Great’ TitParus
. Noted on six dates. ‘Great’ TitParus ‘major’ Two en route to Wolong on 22Green-backed TitParus monticolus 47+ bird-days. Noted on nine dates. may be of significance… Yellow-bellied TitParus venustulus 22 bird-days. Noted on six dates. may be of significance… Rufous-vented TitParus rubidiventris 11 bird-days. Noted on three dates. Coal TitParus ater 52 bird-days. Noted on six dates – quite common at Wawu Shan, with up to 18 daily up high. Pere David’s TitParus davidi Six bird-days. Outstanding views on two dates at Wolong! Grey Crested TitParus dichrous Five bird-days – two at Wolong on 26 & three up high on Wawu Shan on 28Yellow-browed TitSylviparus modestus Four bird-days. Noted on two dates at Wolong. Fire-capped TitCephalopyrus flammiceps 12 bird-days. Noted on three dates. Eastern Lemon-rumped WarblerPhylloscopus forresti 9) 75 bird-days. Noted on eight dates. Hume’s Leaf WarblerPhylloscopus humei mande

llii Five bird-days. Noted on four da
llii Five bird-days. Noted on four dates. Large-billed Leaf WarblerPhylloscopus magnirostris 87 bird-days. One at Wolong on 25 & up to 49 daily on five dates at Wawu Shan. Claudia’s Leaf WarblerPhylloscopus claudiae 161 bird-days. Noted on nine dates. Emei Leaf WarblerPhylloscopus emeiensis A targeted effort yielded ten at Wawu Shan on 1, of which one showed very well. Grey-crowned WarblerSeicercus tephrocephalus 33+ bird-days. Noted on five dates. ***In addition 15-20 Grey-crowned / Emei Flycatcher-Warblers were noted at Wawu Shan on both 29+30Bianchi’s WarblerSeicercus valentini 37 bird-days. Noted on six dates – main event 22 high up on Wawu Shan on 30Emei Flycatcher-warblerSeicercus omeiensis Nine bird-days. Identified on four dates. Chestnut-crowned WarblerSeicercus castaniceps 12 bird-days at Wawu Shan. Main event 11 on 1Streak-breasted Scimitar BabblerPomatorhinus ruficollis Seven bird-days. Heard on five dates

. Pygmy Wren-BabblerPnoepyga pusilla 16
. Pygmy Wren-BabblerPnoepyga pusilla 16 bird-days. Noted on eight dates. Rufous-capped BabblerStachyris ruficeps Four bird-days – one heard at Wolong on 26 & three at Wawu Shan on 1 5+ at Wolong on 25Barred LaughingthrushGarrulax lunulatus Ten bird-days. Noted at Wolong on two dates. Giant LaughingthrushGarrulax maximus 17 bird-days. Noted on at Wolong on three dates. Great ParrotbillConostoma oemodium 22 bird-days. Noted on four dates… the only two seen at Wolong were carrying nest material. Three-toed ParrotbillParadoxornis paradoxus Six bird-days. Noted high up on Wawu Shan on two dates. Grey-hooded ParrotbillParadoxornis zappeyi One high up on Wawu Shan on 29Fulvous ParrotbillParadoxornis fulvifrons c48 bird-days. Noted high up on Wawu Shan on three dates – main event 26Golden ParrotbillParadoxornis verreauxi Four at Wawu Shan on 1 – incl a pair carrying nest material. Chestnut-flanked White-eyeZosterops erythropleu

rus 22+ bird-days. Noted on five dates
rus 22+ bird-days. Noted on five dates. Japanese White-eyeZosterops japonicus 13 bird-days. Noted on two dates at Wolong – main event 12 on 23Regulus regulus Five bird-days – two at Wolong on 26 & three high up on Wawu Shan on 28Northern WrenTroglodytes troglodytes Singletons high up on Wawu Shan on three dates. Naga NuthatchSitta nagaensis Four bird-days. Noted on two dates. Hodgson’s TreecreeperCerthia hodgsoni 16+ bird-days. One at Wolong on 23 & 3-6+ on three dates high up on Wawu Shan. Sichuan TreecreeperCerthia tianquanensis 16 bird-days. 4-7 noted on three dates high up on Wawu Shan – Tingaling! ***Originally described as a subspecies of C. familiaris (Li 1995), but “lives in syntopy” with C. f. waschanensis (Martens et al. 2002). It is separated from all C. familiaris ssp by size (longer tail & wings), short bill, and colouration of underside (“dark abdomen is coloured smoky brown to beige, gr

adually becoming lighter from upper
adually becoming lighter from upper belly to chest, and white throat and chin”). C. himalayana has a much longer bill and a barred tail. No form of C. discolor is more than superficially similar, having “their underside [..] a more or less uniform greyish brown to reddish brown, and the intensity of the colour usually increases towards the throat and chin. The discrepancy between this ‘pattern’ and that of tianquanensis is striking”. “The under surface of the wing [of tianquanensis] is a pure white with a blackish point at the base of p10”. The two individuals depicted on plate 1 in Martens et al. (2002) show a shorter & broader white Four bird-days. Noted on three dates at Wolong. Blue-fronted RedstartPhoenicurus frontalis 13 bird-days. Noted on four dates – at Wawu Shan just three, high up on 30White-bellied RedstartHodgsonius phaenicuroides 23) 24) A singing bird on 2 proved compar

atively obliging. Plumbeous RedstartRhya
atively obliging. Plumbeous RedstartRhyacornis fuliginosa Nine bird-days. Noted on four dates at Wolong. River ChatChaimarrornis leucocephalus 11 bird-days. Noted on seven dates. White-tailed RobinMyiomela leucura Two bird-days. Singles heard at Wawu Shan on two dates. GrandalaGrandala coelicolor 41 bird-days. Noted at Wolong on two dates – main event 33 (incl 18+ males) on 23***The colour of the male? Grandala Blue! Two bird-days. Different singletons at Wawu Shan on two dates – particularly welcome as the species (unlike its four congeners!) had just eluded us in Yunnan… ‘Siberian’ Common StonechatSaxicola ‘torquatus’ Two high up on Wawu Shan on 30 Grey BushchatSaxicola ferreus A male in the lowlands en route on 2Chestnut-bellied Rock ThrushMonticola rufiventris A male high up on Wawu Shan on 29Rufous-gorgetted FlycatcherFicedula strophiata 11 bird-days. Noted on five dates – main event five high up on Wawu Shan on 30R

ed-throated FlycatcherFicedula albicilla
ed-throated FlycatcherFicedula albicilla One [RS] at Wolong on 23Slaty-blue Flycatcher30 bird-days. Noted at Wawu Shan on four dates. Asian Verditer FlycatcherEumyias thalassinus 23 bird-days. Noted on seven dates. Plain Mountain FinchLeucosticte nemoricola c160 bird-days. Noted up high at Wolong on two dates. Brandt’s Mountain FinchLeucosticte brandti Two at� 4,400m at Wolong on 23Chinese Beautiful RosefinchCarpodacus davidianus One at Wolong on 25Chinese White-browed RosefinchCarpodacus dubius Three bird-days. Noted up high at Wolong on two dates. Red-fronted RosefinchPyrrhospiza punicea Two heard above Wolong on 23Grey-headed BullfinchPyrrhula erythaca 28+ bird-days. Noted on six dates. Collared GrosbeakMycerobas affinis 2+ at Wolong on 24White-winged GrosbeakMycerobas carniceps Heard up high at Wolong on 24Slaty BuntingLatoucheornis siemsseni Four at Wawu Shan on 1 – a nest-building pair & two ‘sing

le’ males nearby. Emberiza pusilla One a
le’ males nearby. Emberiza pusilla One at Wolong on 25 Black-faced BuntingEmberiza spodocephala One en route on 22Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv 5) “As pointed out by Whistler & Kinnear (1933), the treatment of tephronotus as a full species is inconsistent with that accorded forms now placed with L. schach.”: Rasmussen & Anderton (2005). 6) Dickinson: Three species may be involved – P. major (ssp major (incl. kapustini) in Xinjiang), P. cinereus (ssp commixtus in S+E China & hainanus in Hainan), and P. minor (ssp tibetanus (apparently incl. Cheng’s subtibetanus & artatus ) in SE Tibet – W Sichuan & minor in NC+NE China). 7) “Systematics of the flavolivacea group are under study by P. Alstrom & U. Olsson. Significant plumage differences between the nominate [of “Himalayas from Uttaranchal to Bhutan at least, and in the S Assam hills (Meghalaya and Nagaland)”] and

[‘Manipur’ Aberrant Bush Warbler]are
[‘Manipur’ Aberrant Bush Warbler]are not congruent with their similar songs, and they are genetically close (PA)”: Rasmussen & Anderton 2005. 8) Martens (2008) elevates part of this species to full species status as P. occisinensis http://globiz.sachsen.de/snsd/publikationen/vertebrate-zoology/vz58-2/06_Martens.pdf P. affinis does not occur in Sichuan. 9) Martens . 2004 (Rheindt 2006) elevated forresti, considered a synomym of by Cheng (1987), to full species status, splitting it from chloronotus (of Nepal) which, with simlaensis, becomes Western Lemon-rumped Warbler. The two differ “dramatically in song and mitochondrial DNA (4.2% cytochrome-b divergence)”: Rheindt (2006). Given that the type locality for forresti is Lijiang, in Yunnan (Cheng 1987) it is not obvious that “Sichuan Leaf Warbler’ is preferable to ‘Eastern Lemon-rumped Warbler’. “Presumably the hitherto unknown

border between both species lies somewhe
border between both species lies somewhere in Yunnan, Burma or north-eastern India.”: Rheindt (2006). Ahem?10) Sspp humeimandellii. Rasmussen & Anderton (2005) treats both as full species, noting that “although the call of mandellii is markedly different from [nominate] humei, the whistled songs of both taxa are variable and often inseparable. While mandellii is genetically closer to humei than to , it is long-separated from either according to mtDNA (Irwin et al. 2001); its status as a full species thus remains equivocal.” 11) claudiae (C China – N Hebei) is best considered a monotypic species though “the morphological differences between the three [Blyth’s Leaf Warbler] species are very slight […], and their songs and calls are presently considered indistinguishable”: Olsson et al. press. Genetic analysis places the N Hebei population firmly within claudiae: Olsson et al. in pres

s. 12) Placed in Ianthocincla Rasmussen
s. 12) Placed in Ianthocincla Rasmussen & Anderton (2005). 13) Placed in Ianthocincla Rasmussen & Anderton (2005). 14) Sspp ricinus (NW Yunnan), berthemeyi (SC Sichuan – NW Fujian) & poecilorhynchus (Taiwan) split from G. caerulatus following Vaurie (1965): Dickinson. 15) Placed in Trochalopteron Rasmussen & Anderton (2005). 16) Trochalopteron affine in Rasmussen & Anderton (2005). 17) Rasmussen & Anderton (2005) splits manipurensistonkinensis as Manipur Fulvetta A. manipurensis. The diminished A. cinereiceps is a Mainland China endemic with a range encompassing Fujian & N Guangdong (ssp guttaticollis), C Hubei to Hunan (ssp fucata), W Hubei to SW Sichuan & Guizhou (ssp cinereiceps), and Gansu, S Shaanxi & NE Qinghai [?] (ssp fessa (Dickinson 2003). 18) Collar (2006) asserts that ‘A. manipurensis [which he upholds by “[taking] on trust” from Rasmussen and Anderton (2005) vocal evidence to

shore up morphological differences] tak
shore up morphological differences] takes with it the English name Streak-throated Fulvetta, with Grey-hooded Fulvetta for the diminished A. cinereiceps’. That’s very helpful, Nigel… 19) Split from extralimital H. melanoleuca following Robson (2000) – “however detailed substantiation is needed”: Dickinson (2003). Song of at least nominate desgodinsi well different from H. melanoleuca’s (as described by Robson). Collar (2006) notes that ‘Smythies was familiar with at least the song of melanoleuca from several parts of [Burma], without remarking on any variation in it, and he explicitly records that when he first heard desgodinsi he recognized it as a sibia but of an unfamiliar species’. 20) “embraces the Sino-Himalayan [taxa] hodgsoni Brooks, 1874 (W Himalayas), mandellii Brooks, 1874 (E Himalayas) and khamensis Bianchi 1903 (SW & W China [N as far as the road between Jiuzh

aigou & Sungpan in N Sichuan]” : D T Tie
aigou & Sungpan in N Sichuan]” : D T Tietze et al 2006. Birds in SE Qinghai & E Xizang are this taxon: Cheng (1987). 21) Sspp naumanni eunomus. Dickinson (2003) splits the two “based on Russian work” but judging from mixed characters shown by many birds on migration and in winter quarters there is very extensive interbreeding (JH pers. obs.). 22) “Sino-Himalayan rufilatus and N Asian cyanurus are widely disjunct in breeding ranges. Consistent differences in morphology and song-types over wide areas indicate they are better treated as separate species.”: Rasmussen & Anderton (2005). 23) Specific name usually spelt phenicuroides24) “Hodgson’s Blue Robin” in Rasmussen & Anderton (2005). 25) Dickinson (2003): “proposed splits of this complex species seem unsatisfactory if only in how the forms are ascribed to species”. 26) Dickinson (2003): “for the present we continue to treat this as

conspecific [with parva]”. 27) Alstrom
conspecific [with parva]”. 27) Alstrom & Mild (2003) also concludes that various factors “suggest that the White Wagtail is best treated as a single species under the BSC”. 28) “May be most closely related to Striped Pipit A. lineiventris of Africa; not closely related to any Asian species, but the monotypic genus Oreocorys is unsupported (Alstrom et al. 2003)”: Rasmussen & Anderton (2005). 29) Probably better placed in , as done by Robson (2000) & Grimmett (1998). 30) “ Marked plumage, structural and vocal differences between Chinese and Himalayan (including blythi) are consistent with their specific separation.” : Rasmussen & Anderton 2005. Male “has the pink of the cheek extending well behind the eye, so there is a dark streak only through the rear cheek [= broken eyestripe], and the upper edge of the supercilium is mostly white”; the female “has no trace of brownish background c

olour on her underparts, which instead a
olour on her underparts, which instead appear boldly black-streaked on a white background” – Rasmussen (2005). 31) Dickinson (2003)’s preferred English name may be a justifiable improvement on Red-breasted Rosefinch… 32) “This species was described in the monotypic genus Pyrrhospiza in acknowledgement of striking differences from all other rosefinches (contra Vaurie 1949; following Dement’ev et al. 1970), especially in the bill, which is narrow-based, with a curved culmen and gonys, and ridged base to lower mandible. The species also has a less notched tail than other rosefinches (and most carduelines), long, broad remiges and retrices, and strong feet with very curved claws. Moreover, subadult (female-plumaged) males are not sexually mature, unlike (as far as has been determined) Carpodacus species”: Rasmussen & Anderton (2005).Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv