| • Science | • People | • Locations | • Timeline |
| Hypocolius | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (add image here) | ||||||||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||
| Binomial name | ||||||||||||||
| Hypocolius ampelinus Bonaparte, 1850 |
The Grey Hypocolius (Hypocolius ampelinus; alternative name Hypocolius) is a small passerine bird species. It is the sole member of the family Hypocoliidae. It ranges through the Middle East, breeding in the Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Turkmenistan area, and wintering mostly near the Red Sea and Persian GulfThe Persian Gulf ( Persian: , Arabic: ) is an extension of the Gulf of Oman in between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. This inland sea of some 233,000 kmē is connected to the Gulf of Oman in the east by the Strait of Hormuz, and its western end is marked coasts of ArabiaArabia is a peninsula in Southwest Asia at the junction of Africa and Asia. It lies north of Ethiopia and northern Somalia; south of Israel, the disputed Palestinian territories, and Jordan; and southwest of Iran. The coastal limits of Arabia comprise: on. It is found in bushes and scrub, also in palm groves and gardens.
The Hypocolius's shape and soft plumage resemble the waxwingWaxwings : Animalia : Chordata : Aves : Passeriformes : Bombycillidae Bombycilla Bombycilla garrulusBombycilla japonicaBombycilla cedrorum This is a group of passerine birds characterised by soft silky plumage and unique red tips to some of the wing feaths'. Birds are mainly a uniform grey color, with males having a black triangular mask around the eyes. They have white-tipped black primary wing feathers and a black tip to the tail.
These birds eat berries with some insects. They lay 3-4 eggs in a nest in a bush.
Their relationships are unclear. They may be related to the waxwings, and some authorities place them in the same family, but others believe their closest relatives are the bulbulMany, see text. Bulbuls Pycnonotidae are a family of medium-sized passerine songbirds resident in Africa and tropical Asia. These are mostly frugivorous birds. Some are colorful with yellow, red or orange vents, cheeks, throat or supercilia, but most ares.
The bird is not especially rare, but the political difficulties in getting into and around any of the countries in its range are formidable.