The Visayan tailorbird, also known as the Philippine tailorbird or the chestnut-crowned tailorbird is a species of bird formerly placed in the "Old World warbler" assemblage, but now placed in the family Cisticolidae. It is native to the Philippines in Western Visayas. Its natural habitats are tropical moist lowland forests, tropical mangrove forests and secondary growth.
Region
Southeast Asia
Typical Environment
Endemic to the Western Visayas of the Philippines, primarily on Panay and Negros, with records in nearby small islands where suitable habitat persists. It occupies tropical moist lowland forest, mangrove edges, bamboo thickets, and secondary growth. The species is common along forest edges and in regenerating scrub where dense cover is available. It forages from near ground level to the midstory, frequently within tangled vegetation.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1200 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A small, foliage-gleaning warbler of the family Cisticolidae, the Visayan tailorbird is famous for sewing leaves together with plant fibers to form a cradle-like nest. It thrives in lowland and secondary growth habitats, often skulking in dense undergrowth. Despite ongoing habitat loss in the Visayas, it adapts well to disturbed areas and mangroves. Pairs keep in contact with sharp ticking calls and rapid trills.
A 2009 Philippine stamp featuring the Visayan tailorbird
Temperament
skulking and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats through low vegetation
Social Behavior
Typically found in pairs or small family groups that maintain territories year-round. Pairs construct a sewn-leaf nest low in shrubs or grasses using spider silk and plant fibers. They often join mixed-species flocks along forest edges but remain close to dense cover.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A series of sharp ticks and metallic trills delivered rapidly from inside dense foliage. The song often accelerates and may be given antiphonally by a pair, while contact calls are short, dry chips.
Plumage
Compact, long-tailed warbler with olive-green upperparts, a rich chestnut crown and nape, and pale grayish-white underparts with buffy flanks. Feathers are smooth and sleek, with a slightly graduated tail often held cocked.
Diet
Primarily consumes small insects and other arthropods, including caterpillars, beetles, and spiders. It gleans prey from leaves, stems, and tangled vines, occasionally sallying short distances to snatch flushed insects. Foraging is methodical but rapid, with frequent tail flicks.
Preferred Environment
Feeds in dense understory, scrub, and bamboo thickets along forest edges and in secondary growth. It also forages in mangrove fringes and along overgrown trails and clearings where insects are abundant.
