The Himalayas, is a mountain range which separates the Great Indian Plains from the Tibetan Plateau. This range is home to nine of the ten highest peaks on the Earth, including the highest, Mount Everest. The abrupt rise of the Himalayan Mountains from less than 500 meters to more than 8,000 meters in a few hundred kilometers has resulted in a huge diversity of flora and fauna. Nearly 1000 birds have been recorded in the Himalayas of which 15 species are fully endemic.
The brown parrotbill (Cholornis unicolor) is found in the central and eastern Himalayas. This is a 17-19 cm long grey brown bird with a long tail and a characteristic small yellowish parrot-like bill. A dark stripe runs above the eyes and along the sides of the crown. They move in small groups and will sometimes join mixed species foraging flocks. Originally described by Brian Houghton Hodgson in the genus Hemirhynchus this species was later included in the genus Heteromorpha. They are now usually treated as members of the family Paradoxornithidae.
IUCN Status : Least Concern (LC) Photo: Dibyendu Ash