The Tailorbirds of the Philippines Part 1

This is part 1 of a three part series. The Philippines is definitely one of the centers for tailorbird biodiversity in the world. The current number of tailorbird species recorded in the Philippines stands at 11 (including the "bush-warbler" Cettia types) with an amazing 8 species endemic to the Philippines. These are small active birds often preferring the underbrush of primary and secondary forests and scrubs. A lot of them are skulkers, and despite their bright colors with different shades of yellow, green and rufous, they can be tricky to locate and photograph. The true tailorbirds belonging to the genus Orthotomus got their name from the way they construct their nests: these species use large, broad leaves that are stitched together with plant fiber or spider's web. Presenting the Tailorbirds of the Philippines:
Tailorbirds of the Philippines
Tailorbirds of the Philippines
We start from Luzon, we have Trilling Tailorbird (1), Grey backed Tailorbird (2) and Mountain Tailorbird (3). The Trilling Tailorbird's range is from north central Luzon to northern Luzon and is confined to lowland forests. Grey-backed Tailorbirds, as the name implies have more greys on their backs and napes compared to Trilling Tailorbird. The Grey-backs are confined to lowland south central and south Luzon, with subspecies in Catanduanes and Masbate and Ticao, a little bit different from those from the mainland. In the high elevation mountains, there is Mountain Tailorbird, one of the three non-endemic tailorbirds of the Philippines. It is also a Phyllergates tailorbird, they are not "true" tailorbirds and are more related taxonomically to "Cettia" bush-warblers.
Trilling Tailorbird
Trilling Tailorbird from Camp Sawa, Cagayan. Luzon
Grey-backed Tailorbird
Grey-backed Tailorbird from Catanduanes
Mountain Tailorbird
Mountain Tailorbird from Mt. Polis, Mountain Province
Next post: Part 2: the Tailorbirds of Mindanao

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