Identification:
Adults: Black head, silvery-gray throat and cheeks; rusty-red breast, upper belly, neck collar, and upper back. Olive-yellow wings with black wing coverts; olive-brown tail with olive-yellow edges at the base; the rest of the body is gray; underbelly and under-tail coverts are olive-brown.
Biology and Ecology:
Breeding season from March to April; typically found in pairs or small flocks, very shy; altitude range from approximately 1,500 – 2,440 meters. Inhabits the understory of evergreen broadleaf forests or high-altitude coniferous forests.
Distribution:
Within Vietnam: Đà Lạt (Da Lat Plateau, Ma-line), Đắk Lắk (Chu Yang Sin Nature Reserve); Lâm Đồng (Heaven’s Gate, Bi Dup and Mount Ba); Upper Da Nhim area (Đắk Lắk, Lâm Đồng).
Worldwide: Endemic to Vietnam.
Value:
Endemic species of Vietnam, of aesthetic and scientific value.
Status:
Resides in the Central Highlands of the South; not commonly encountered within its distribution range.
Classification:
EN B1+2a,b.c,d,e
Conservation Measures:
Listed in the Vietnam Red Data Book since 1992, and the Asian Red Data Book of Birds (2001), classified as EN (Endangered). Currently protected in the Chu Yang Sin, Heaven’s Gate, Bi Dup and Mount Ba nature reserves.