Hume's ground-jay

Pseudopodoces humilis

SUBFAMILY

Corvinae

TAXONOMY

Pseudopodoces humilis Hume, 1871, Sinkiang. Probably monotypic.

OTHER COMMON NAMES

English: Little ground-jay, Tibetan ground-jay, Hume's groundpecker; French: Podoce de Hume; German: Höhlenhäher; Spanish: Arrandejo Terrestre de Hume.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

7.4 in (19 cm); 1.47–1.61 oz (42–46 g). The soft, slightly fluffy body plumage is dull brownish above and off-white below. Wings are darker brown and the tail is white with dark brown central feathers. The black bill is short, thin, and distinctly curved. Legs and feet also are black.

DISTRIBUTION

Tibetan Plateau of China, Nepal, and India.

HABITAT

Grassy, boulder-strewn mountain slopes.

BEHAVIOR

Hops and perches between boulders, flicking wings and tail on landing.

FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET

Probes on ground using long bill in search of invertebrates.

REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY

Digs long tunnel in bank, wall or building to build grass and moss nest at end. Lays four to six eggs May through June. Incubation and fledging periods unknown.

CONSERVATION STATUS

Not threatened; common.

SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS

None known.