tmichael

It definitely IS the same bird - I saw it today.

And, apart from other pretty obvious things like the extensive blue 'cap', as opposed to just a 'peak' on Fujian, it really does have a different jizz from Fujian. I've seen about half a dozen, or maybe more, over 26 years in HK, and though one or two have just been glimpsed and must have some element of doubt, seeing this bird has persuaded me the others were mostly/all Fujian. The wings are shorter and the tail is longer, and the bird seems 'dumpier', more like a  sort of fat Robin-like shape to me.

At least I think so!

tmichael

This is clearly an area in which birds are released, and as such there must be a question mark about its origins, but when birds are as closely scrutinised as in Martin's shot, it makes me wonder how much 'web-splitting' must occur in birds such as this in the normal course of contact with branches etc as they move around and feed. Obviously it'll get repaired periodically, but not immediately, presumably.

I've certainly seen birds undoubtedly wild - I'm thinking of fantails Rhipidura for certain - which have displayed much more incidental tail dishevelment than the flight feathers of this bird show.

And presumably if it's been 'out' long enough to get itself into otherwise tip-top condition - which it surely couldn't be in if it had been in a cage in the last few days - it's had time to preen those wings.

tmichael

Yeah, basically I agree, it's not ideal, and neither is the location, more significantly. As it got light there on Sunday morning the same trees were full of mesias, some of which looked more than a little bit scruffy to me.

But my main point was; how much web-splitting etc can be seen in birds which are undoubtedly of wild origin, especially when multiple shots are captured with the incredible equipment available today?