Home > Indian History > Flora & Fauna > Scarlet Minivet
Scarlet Minivet
Scarlet Minivet is an Indian bird concentrated in the forest regions of high canopy.

Share this Article:

Scarlet Minivet, Indian BirdScarlet Minivet is an Indian bird that bears a scientific name "Pericrocotus speciosus" found in the tropical parts of South Asian countries and Indian states. This Indian bird has well wooded habitat throughout South Asia.

Concentration of Scarlet Minivet
Scarlet Minivet is a small passerine bird. This minivet is found in tropical southern Asia from the Indian subcontinent east to southern China, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

Breeding Season of Scarlet Minivet
Scarlet Minivet is a common resident breeding bird in forests and other well-wooded habitats including gardens, especially in hilly country. While the male of most subspecies are scarlet to orange with black upper parts, the females are usually yellow with greyish olive upper parts.

Species of Scarlet Minivet
There are several former subspecies that have been elevated to species status in recent works. These include the Orange Minivet. All subspecies have the same habits of gleaning for insects and are often seen in mixed-species foraging flocks, usually foraging in small groups, high up in the forest canopy.

Structure of Scarlet Minivet
Scarlet Minivet is 20-22 cm long with a strong dark beak and long wings. The male has black upperparts and head, and scarlet underparts, tail edges, rump and wing patches. The shape and colour of the wing patches and the shade or orange in the male varies across populations. In the subspecies nigroluteus and marchesae from south Philippines the scarlet/orange is entirely replaced by yellow. The female is grey above, with yellow underparts, tail edges, rump and wing patches.

Population of Scarlet Minivet
Scarlet Minivet has considerable geographic variation in this species and several disjunct populations exist. Some former races are sometimes considered full species requiring the reorganization of other former subspecies

Feeding of Scarlet Minivet
Scarlet Minivet catches insects in trees by fly-catching or while perched. It flushes insects out of foliage by beating its wings hard.

Behaviour of Scarlet Minivet
Scarlet Minivet will form small flocks. Its song is a pleasant whistling.

Nests of Scarlet Minivet
Scarlet Minivet nests high up in the treetops. The nest is a cup-like structure woven with small twigs and spiders` webs to increase the strength of the nest. Two or three spotted pale green eggs are laid.

Incubation of Scarlet Minivet
The incubation of Scarlet Minivet is mainly by the female, but both birds help to raise the offspring.


Share this Article:

Related Articles

More Articles in Flora & Fauna


Flora Of Uttarakhand
Uttaranchal falls under the west Himalayan Biogeography zone and it is well-known for floral diversity .
Flora and Fauna of Ladakh
Flora and Fauna is typical to t he kind of mountainous terrain which dominate the entire landscape of the region. Though some varieties of fauna are to be found here, the vegetation is very limited due to the dry and cold climate.
Flora and fauna in Tripura
Two-thirds of Tripura is forested where different species of trees, orchids, birds and wildlife are found. There are four sanctuaries in the state namely, Rowa wildlife sanctuary, Sepahijala wildlife sanctuary, Trishna wildlife sanctuary and Gumti wildlife sanctuary.
Flora and Fauna in Meghalaya
70 percent of Meghalaya is forested. Meghalayan forests are considered to be among the richest botanical habitats of Asia. These forests receive abundant rainfall and support a vast variety of floral and faunal biodiversity.
Flora and Fauna of Jammu & Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir is rich in flora and fauna. Flora includes thorn bush type of the arid plain to the temperate and alpine flora of the higher altitudes. Faunal species found here are leopard, cheetah and deer, wild sheep, bear, brown musk shrew, muskrat; varieties of snakes, bats, lizards etc.
Flora and fauna in Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Economy of this region is primly based on agriculture. In Andaman island, paddy is the main food crop, while in Nicoabar island coconut and areca nut are the main crops. Some field crops like pulses, oilseeds and vegetables are also grown here.
Flora And Fauna Of Uttar Pradesh
Flora and Fauna of Uttar Pradesh is widely diversified and adds pride to the state.
Flora and fauna of Kerala
Flora and Fauna of Kerala are diverse. The favourable climate with heavy rainfall and good quality of the soils helps both the flora and fauna to thrive. Forest covers a large area in the Western Ghats of Kerala.
Flora and fauna of Karnataka
Flora and fauna of Karnataka are diverse and comprise of plants, animals, birds, reptiles, etc. Flora of Karnataka comprises of species like eucalyptus, teak and rosewood. Fauna of Karnataka comprises of species like leopard, gaur and wild pig.
Flora and Fauna of Rajasthan
The flora and fauna of Rajasthan supports all kinds of animal species and forests. The diverse flora and fauna of Rajasthan has made it a popular tourist destination.
Flora of Arunachal Pradesh
Flora of Arunachal Pradesh includes infinite species and is a subject of great interests for the botanists.
Flora and Fauna of Manipur
Flora and fauna of Manipur are known to be the assemblage of a huge variety including the endangered ones. The place is especially famed for orchid species which includes the most vibrant and beautiful ones of the world.