IDENTIFICATION

VOCALISATION

In general vocalisations are richer and slightly lower in pitch than those of Grey-throated Minivet. In addition, calls uttered in flight rise in pitch sharply and lack a corresponding fall and thus seem to terminate more abruptly.

May also deliver a similar vocalisation when perched, apparently in song.

Also uttered when perched is a more rhythmic version.

DISTRIBUTION & HABITAT PREFERENCE

Occurs in closed- and open-canopy forests and woodland edge even where the latter abuts urban areas, and thus it may occasionally occur in parks or other large green spaces in towns. The increase of forest cover in HK has allowed this species to expand its range in both breeding and non-breeding seasons. However, it remains largely a mainland species that is still rare elsewhere, even on the well-wooded offshore island of Lantau.

The breeding range increased from 1.7% to 9.2% of 1km squares as measured by the breeding bird surveys of 1993-96 and 2016-19. Previously restricted to the central New Territories with isolated records on Lantau and HK Island, it has expanded to the country parks of Lion Rock, Kam Shan, Tai Lam, Pat Sin Leng, Plover Cove and Sai Kung East and West.

Between the winter atlas of 2001-05 to that of 2016-19 the percentage of 1km squares in which it was recorded increased from 1.9% to 12.0%. In the former survey it was largely restricted to the Tai Mo Shan massif and the northeast New Territories. Subsequently it has expanded to most parts of the New Territories, with isolated records on Lantau and in urban parks.

OCCURRENCE

Scarlet Minivet was first recorded along Cape D’Aguilar Road on HK Island on 7 March 1950 (Herklots 1953). Subsequently, up to 1964 there were 12 records of singles in December, five or six females were seen at Lam Tsuen on 14 March 1954 and 20 birds wintered there from 11 December 1956 to 17 March 1957.

In the 1960s Scarlet Minivet became a winter visitor, regularly present from the end of November to mid-March. Most records were from Lam Tsuen, with a high count of 30 on 26 January 1969. The number of records increased in the 1970s, especially at Tai Po Kau, where flocks of up to 30 were noted; there were also isolated records on HK Island (December 1971) and Lantau (January 1972).

The species continued to expand its range and population size in the 1980s. At least 80 birds at Tai Po Kau on 16th and 22 December 1984 is the highest count to date. Since then, large flocks of up to 60 have occurred at Shek Kong, Ng Tung Chai, Tai Mei Tuk, Hok Tau and other large woodland areas. It is now regularly recorded at sites it was previously unrecorded such as Pak Sha O (since 2010), Pak Tam Chung (2013), Yung Shue O (2013) and Lung Fu Shan (since 2015). This range expansion reflects the continuing increase in forest cover throughout HK. However, at Pak Sha O (and presumably other sites) it remains absent in midsummer.

Scarlet Minivet is regarded as largely resident (Cheng 1987; Taylor 2020), and is not known for long-distance migration, but it presumably carries out post-breeding or nomadic movement in search of new food sources. A winter peak is obvious from 1999 to 2020 (Figure 1), though this must partly be due to the formation of flocks in the non-breeding season following dispersal from local breeding sites.

There are records on offshore islands indicative of migration: on Po Toi seven in spring (late March to May) from 2018 to 2020 and eight in winter (November to January) from 2010 to 2017. On Tung Ping Chau one was present on 10 May 2014.

BEHAVIOUR, FORAGING & DIET

Often in small noisy parties and mixed with Grey-chinned Minivet in large foraging flocks in winter (Viney et al. 2005). Few data on diet, but regularly seen feeding on caterpillars.

BREEDING

The first evidence of breeding was a pair seen in courtship display in Tai Po Kau on 27 May 1975. Juveniles then became regularly noted and five singing males were observed on 21 May 1994. Breeding increased significantly after 1999, since when there have been frequent records of birds in song (from January to July), a single record of courtship display on 26 January 2009, seven records of nesting (from February to June) and 12 records of chicks and/or juveniles (from April to October).

RANGE & SYSTEMATICS

Polytypic species distributed through much of the Oriental region from the northwest Himalayas east to Indochina and south China and south through southeast Asia to Indonesia and the Philippines (Taylor 2020).

Three subspecies occur in China, of which P. s. fohkiensis occurs in the southeast, including HK. P. s. fraterculus occurs in Hainan and adjacent parts of south China and west to northeast India, while the nominate taxon occurs in southwest China (Taylor 2020).

CONSERVATION STATUS

IUCN: Least Concern. Population trend decreasing.