IDENTIFICATION

VOCALISATIONS

A highly vocal species with a diverse range of calls.

DISTRIBUTION & HABITAT PREFERENCE

Grey Treepie favours forest edge but can be found in forest, including tall shrubland, fung shui woods and patches of pines. Previously concentrated on western HK Island and the central New Territories, it has shifted its range more to the northeast New Territories, Sai Kung and Tai Lam Country Park in recent decades. Many fewer sightings occur on HK Island, and it only occasionally occurs on other islands such as Lantau and Po Toi.

Range expansion was detected between both breeding bird (1993-96 and 2016-19) and winter atlas surveys (2001-05 and 2016-19). The proportion of occupied 1 km squares increased from 1.6% to 4.1% in the former and from 3.2% to 4.0% in the latter.

Although Grey Treepie favours wooded habitats, it is apparently not fond of dense forest (Madge 2020). This may be a reason why its range has shifted away from central New Territories where most mature forest is present. The same is true for HK Island on which the western part in particular has matured to form larger and denser closed-canopy woodland during the same period of time.

The first records occurred from January to April 1950 in Lam Tsuen valley and at South Bay, HK Island (Herklots 1953).

OCCURRENCE

Grey Treepie previously occurred in occasional winter irruptions from winter 1963/64 to 1997/98. While smaller irruptions during this period, especially after 1983/84, could relate to birds resident in HK, the larger irruptions, which were exclusively in winter, were likely a result of post-breeding dispersal from nearby areas.

Sightings in summer first occurred in the 1980s and were rare for the rest of the century. However, they have been regular in the last two decades, involving paired-up birds and a few larger parties. Outside the breeding season it forms small groups of up to ten birds, with the highest count being 32 at Chek Keng on 13 July 2015. Sightings increase in autumn, when young birds are fledged and post-breeding dispersal is occurring.

BREEDING

The first confirmed breeding record was at Tai Po Kau in 1993 when a family party with two recently-fledged juveniles was seen in mid-August in the higher part of the forest. Since then, breeding has been infrequently reported but sufficient to indicate that it occurs regularly. The breeding season begins in April, and recently-fledged juveniles occur in June and July.

BEHAVIOUR, FORAGING & DIET

Outside the breeding season, it most often occurs in small groups, sometimes together with other species such as Greater Necklaced Laughingthrushes. Arboreal, it often perches on wires. There are few data regarding diet, with local observations only of birds consuming the fruit of Litchi chinensis, Celtis sinensis and Cinnamomum camphora.

RANGE & SYSTEMATICS

Widespread in the Oriental region (Madge 2020). Of the eight subspecies, five occur in China. D. f. sinica, which breeds in east and southeast China and northeast Tonkin (extreme north Vietnam), is the only subspecies in HK.

CONSERVATION STATUS

IUCN: Least Concern. Population trend decreasing.