The Chinese shortwing is a species of chat. This species is now classified in the family Muscicapidae.
Region
Southeast China
Typical Environment
This species inhabits dense understory of montane and hill forests, especially evergreen broadleaf and mixed forests. It favors damp, shaded gullies, bamboo thickets, rhododendron tangles, and mossy slopes where ground cover is thick. The bird keeps close to the forest floor, using low perches and hopping through leaf litter. It can persist in secondary growth if understory is intact, and occasionally occurs along shaded stream margins.
Altitude Range
600–2600 m
Climate Zone
Subtropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The Chinese shortwing is a shy, ground-loving chat now placed in the family Muscicapidae. It is most often detected by its rich, melodious song delivered from dense cover. Males are slaty-blue while females are brown, and both have notably short wings and tails that suit their skulking lifestyle. It prefers cool, shaded undergrowth and often keeps to damp ravines and bamboo thickets.
Temperament
skulking and secretive
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Usually solitary or in pairs, maintaining well-defined territories in dense cover. Nests are well-concealed cups placed low, often in banks, roots, or dense vegetation. Breeding occurs in the warm season, with the male singing from hidden perches to advertise territory.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Song is a rich, fluty series of clear whistles and short phrases, often repeated and carrying well through forest. Calls include thin seep notes and soft tics given from cover.
Plumage
Compact, short-tailed and short-winged with soft, plain plumage. Male is largely uniform slaty-blue; female is warm brown with rufous-washed underparts and a paler throat. Both sexes lack wing bars and have a subtly darker face.
Diet
Primarily feeds on insects and other small invertebrates such as beetles, ants, caterpillars, and spiders. It will also take small snails and occasionally supplement with berries and small fruits in season. Foraging is mostly on or near the ground, gleaning and probing among leaf litter.
Preferred Environment
Feeds in dense understory, along shaded trails, stream margins, bamboo patches, and thickets where leaf litter accumulates. Often forages under cover, making short hops and brief sallies to low perches.
