Common Tailorbird
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[Photo] Male Common Tailorbird (Orthotomus sutorius) in breeding plumage with elongated central tail feathers. Photograph by Vijay Cavale. vijay AT indiabirds.com

The Common Tailorbird, Orthotomus sutorius, is an Old World warbler. This tailorbird is a resident breeder in tropical south Asia from Pakistan and India to south China, and Indonesia.

This passerine bird is typically found in open woodland, scrub and gardens. Tailorbirds get their name from the way their nest is constructed. The edges of a large leaf are pierced and sewn together with plant fibre or spiders web to make a cradle in which the actual grass nest is built. Common Tailorbird builds its nest in a shrub and lays 3-5 eggs.

These 13 cm long warblers are brightly coloured, with bright green upperparts and whitish underparts. The crown of the head is chestnut. It has short rounded wings, a short tail, strong legs and a long decurved bill. The tail is typically held upright, like a wren.

The sexes are identical, except that the male has long central tail feathers in the breeding season, but young birds are duller.

There are two endemic races in Sri Lanka which retain the male's long tail feathers all year.

Like most warblers, the Common Tailorbird is insectivorous. The song is a loud cheeup-cheeup-cheeup.

In culture
Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, the poem by Rudyard Kipling, features a tailorbird. "Tuntuni'r Boi",the children's verses in Bengali by Upendrakishore Ray,also features a tailorbird.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Tailorbird

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