The black-chinned yuhina is a bird species in the white-eye family Zosteropidae.
Region
South and Southeast Asia
Typical Environment
Primarily found from the eastern Himalayan foothills through northeastern India and into Myanmar, southern China, and mainland Southeast Asia. It favors evergreen and mixed montane forests, often using forest edges and secondary growth. Birds regularly move along ridgelines and through canopy gaps while foraging. It can be locally common where intact mid-elevation forests persist.
Altitude Range
500–2700 m
Climate Zone
Subtropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
The black-chinned yuhina is now placed in the white-eye family (Zosteropidae) after formerly being grouped with babblers. It often joins mixed-species flocks and forages actively in the mid- to upper canopy. Besides insects, it takes nectar and small fruits, which likely makes it a minor pollinator and seed disperser in montane forests.
Black-chinned Yuhina Yuhina nigrimenta, at Sindhuli Gadi, Nepal
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Frequently travels in small groups and joins mixed-species flocks with other yuhinas, white-eyes, and babblers. Pairs likely form during the breeding season, building a small cup nest in shrubs or low trees. They communicate constantly with soft contact calls while foraging.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
Calls are thin, high-pitched chips and twitters delivered in quick series. The song is a light, chattering sequence of trills and squeaks that can be hard to pinpoint in dense foliage.
Plumage
Olive-brown upperparts with paler, grayish underparts and a crisp white throat. A distinct black chin patch contrasts with the throat, and a slight, wispy crest gives the crown a peaked look. Subtle pale eye-ring and fine facial markings are often visible at close range.
Diet
Consumes small insects and other arthropods gleaned from leaves, flowers, and fine twigs. Supplements its diet with nectar from blooming shrubs and trees, occasionally probing flowers. Also takes small berries and soft fruits, especially outside the peak insect season.
Preferred Environment
Feeds mainly in the mid- to upper canopy along forest edges, clearings, and secondary growth. Often forages while moving with mixed flocks, exploiting a variety of microhabitats within the same slope or ridge.
