19/08/2024
The Common Iora are brightly coloured small passerine birds, measuring 12 to 13 cm in length and weighing 12 to 17 gms that is widely distributed in Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and South China.
These Common Iora species are sexually dimorphic, the males being slightly larger and having bright breeding plumage. There is large variation in the plumage, with the populations showing variations, some of which are designated as subspecies. The subspecies A. t. multicolor is distributed in Southern India (Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamilnadu and Kerala) and Sri Lanka.
The male Common Iora has black wing and black tail. The breeding male had a black cap and black back. The females have greenish wings and olive tail. The underparts are yellow in both male and female. There are two white bars on the wings. The bill is pointed and notched with a straight culmen. The irises are blackish in males and pale yellow in females. The feet are greyish.
Common Ioras forage in trees in small groups, gleaning among the branches for insects. They sometimes join mixed species feeding flocks. The call is a mixture of churrs, chattering and whistles, and the song is a trilled wheeeee-tee. They may sometimes imitate the calls of other birds such as Drongos.
During the breeding season, mainly after the monsoons, the male Common Iora performs an acrobatic courtship display, darting up into the air fluffing up all his feathers, especially those on the pale green rump, then spiralling down to the original perch. Once he lands, he spreads his tail and droops his wings. These species are monogamous. The breeding pair build a compact, shallow cup-shaped nest on a fork of a tree. The nest is a shallow saucer of interwoven grass, cobwebs and fibers.
