The rosy minivet is a species of bird in the family Campephagidae. It is omnivorous.
Region
South and Southeast Asia
Typical Environment
Found from the Himalayan foothills and northern plains of the Indian subcontinent through Myanmar into Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, with some records in southern China. Prefers open forests, woodland edges, secondary growth, and well-treed parks and gardens. Most activity is in the mid to upper canopy where it forages along outer foliage. It often occurs in small flocks outside the breeding season and moves locally following food availability.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 2000 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
Rosy minivets travel in lively, chattering parties high in the canopy and often join mixed-species flocks. Males show a delicate rose-pink flush that can look whitish in poor light, leading to under-reporting. They hunt by sally-gleaning insects from leaves and twigs. Their neat, cup-shaped nest is placed high in trees and is well camouflaged with lichens.
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with brief glides
Social Behavior
Often seen in small, mobile flocks and commonly associates with other canopy-feeding passerines. Breeding pairs build a small, lichen-bound cup high on exposed branches. Both parents typically participate in feeding the young. Outside the breeding season it forms larger foraging groups.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
Gives thin, sweet, whistled notes and soft, high-pitched trills. Contact calls are sharp and frequent when flocking, while song is a clearer series of whistles from perches high in the canopy.
Plumage
Slender, long-tailed minivet with smooth, clean plumage and bold wing panels. Males have grey to dark slate upperparts with a soft rose-pink suffusion on the underparts and rump, contrasting with white patches in the wings and tail edges. Females are duller, grey-olive above with pale buff to faint yellowish underparts and less vivid wing markings.
Diet
Primarily consumes small insects such as caterpillars, beetles, and leafhoppers, gleaned from foliage and small branches. Also takes spiders and other arthropods. Will supplement its diet with small berries or other soft fruits when available.
Preferred Environment
Feeds mostly in the mid to upper canopy of open forests, wooded edges, and mature gardens. Forages by moving methodically along branches and sallying short distances to snatch prey from leaves or in mid-air.
