The thick-billed flowerpecker (Pachyglossa agilis) is a tiny bird in the flowerpecker group. They feed predominantly on fruits and are active birds that are mainly seen in the tops of trees in forests. It is a resident bird with a wide distribution across tropical southern Asia from India east to Indonesia and Timor with several populations recognized as subspecies some of which are sometimes treated as full species. This species was formerly placed in the genus Dicaeum.

Taxonomy

The thick-billed flowerpecker was formally described in 1833 by the English ornithologist Samuel Tickell based on a specimen collected in the Barabhum and Dhalbhum forests of the state of Jharkhand in eastern India. He placed the new species with the finches in the genus Fringilla and coined the binomial name Fringilla agilis. The specific epithet is Latin meaning "nimble" or "active". The thick-billed flowerpecker was formerly placed in the genus Dicaeum but when molecular phylogenetic studies found that this genus was paraphyletic, several species including the thick-billed flowerpecker were moved to the resurrected genus Pachyglossa that had been introduced in 1843 by Edward Blyth.

Eleven subspecies are recognised: Several island forms have been described but some of them are only tentatively kept within this species. These include atjehense of Sumatra, finschi of western Java, tinctum of Sumba, Flores and Alor, obsoletum from Timor, striatissimum, aeruginosum and affine from the Philippines. Several of these such as aeruginosum are considered as full species as they are reproductively isolated and distinct in morphology.

Behaviour and ecology

Like other flowerpeckers they feed mainly on berries, nectar but sometimes take insects. Many of the subspecies are found in dense lowland forests with the exception of the nominate race which is found mainly in cultivated areas or open forest.

Foraging birds produce a spick call frequently and the tail is jerked from side to side when perched. The feathers of the crown are erected in display and the white bases of the feathers become visible as a crown stripe.

The nest has been described as appearing camouflaged like a dry leaf. It is a pendant purse like structure made of cobwebs or fine plant fibres and is located from 3 to 15 metres high suspended from a thin horizontal branch. Said to frequently nest among the nests of Oecophylla smaragdina ants. Both male and female participate in nest building. The usual clutch is about 3 eggs but can vary from 2 to 4.

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File:Thick-billed Flowerpecker (Dicaeum agile) on Helicteres isora W2 IMG 1379.jpg|Dicaeum agile agile on Helicteres isora in Narsapur, India.

File:DicaeumAgileWolf.jpg|Illustration of nest by Joseph Wolf

Thick-billed flowerpecker - Timbi Lake, Vadodara, Gujarat 2023-12-03.jpg|Dicaeum agile agile from Gujarat

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References

  • Photographs and videos
  • Image at ADW