IDENTIFICATION

VOCALISATIONS

Vocal species with a diverse vocabulary. The song is loud and rich, and there are a number of different song phrases.

Calls are varied and include notes that sound similar to Blue-winged Minla.

Occasionally birds might be heard uttering a long and varied medley that is not typical song.

DISTRIBUTION & HABITAT PREFERENCE

Whilst there have been occasional records of this species from closed-canopy shrubland, all breeding records have been in extensive stands of relatively mature woodland, and the requirement for this habitat may, in part, explain the relatively slow colonisation. Sightings at such sites as Pak Sha O, where the woodland is closed-canopy but not as mature as Tai Po Kau, are sporadic.

OCCURRENCE

The first record of Yellow-cheeked Tit was of a male at Mount Nicholson on 29 January 1988, which was closely followed by single birds elsewhere on HK Island. Later that year there were up to two at Tai Po Kau from 29 October and two at Plover Cove on 30 October, and in 1989 there were records from Tai Po Kau throughout the year, including a juvenile on 27 May. In 1990 there was a confirmed breeding record on HK Island, while breeding clearly occurred at Tai Po Kau where 15 were recorded on 2 September.

The population at Tai Po Kau and surrounding areas established well. The 1993-96 breeding bird survey recorded Yellow-cheeked Tit in 1.1% of 1km squares, with most sightings in the Tai Mo Shan massif and others in the northeast New Territories and HK Island. This doubled to 2.2% in the 2016-19 survey, when Tai Mo Shan massif remained the stronghold, but it was also recorded in adjoining Ma On Shan, Tai Lam and Lam Tsuen Country Parks (CP), indicating a spread from its earlier distribution, and on Lantau and Sai Kung West CP.

The winter atlas of 2001-05 recorded Yellow-cheeked Tit in 0.4% of 1km squares, a figure that had increased to 2.2% in the 2016-19 survey. The concentration in the Tai Mo Shan massif was even more marked, with only five 1km squares occupied elsewhere: three in Ma On Shan/Kowloon Hills, one in Sai Kung West CP and one in the northeast New Territories.

The almost complete loss of forest habitat by the end of the Second World War would have meant the disappearance from HK of Yellow-cheeked Tit if it had been present. During the second half of the 20^th Century until at least the 1990s in southern Guangdong there was a lack of suitable habitat that would have allowed re-colonisation. The appearance of small numbers of birds at scattered localities, some urban or on HK Island, does not accord with the natural pattern of colonisation that might be expected for a forest species. On HK Island, for example, after the initial suite of records until 1995, the only records were on 8 April 2007 and 28 April 2015, the latter a bird that died in care. This is suggestive of a pattern of ex-captive birds persisting for a short time but failing to establish viable populations. Consequently, the species is placed in Category IIA.

It is possible that the species was historically present in HK when there was suitable mature forest habitat. It is also possible that with the spread of forest habitat in HK and adjoining parts of Guangdong birds could arrive naturally in the future, if not already.

BREEDING

Nest-building has been noted from 13 March to 11 April, and dependent juveniles from 27 March to 22 June.

BEHAVIOUR, FORAGING & DIET

Has been recorded consuming fruit (Ilex rotunda var. macrocarpa, Gardenia jasminoides), seed capsules of Lagerstroemia speciosa, insects and caterpillars.

Usually found in pairs or small parties; often in mixed species flocks in the non-breeding season. A vocal and rather easily seen resident of mature forest where it forages in the lower canopy.

RANGE & SYSTEMATICS

Resident from the eastern Himalayas south into north and southeast Indochina and east into south-central China (Gosler and Clement 2020). In China resident in much of the area south of the Chang Jiang (Yangtze River) (Liu and Chen 2020).

Four subspecies are recognised. The nominate occurs from east Nepal and northeast India east to southwest China; M. s. subviridis occurs to the south in northern Indochina and south-central China; M. s. rex occurs in south and southeast China and central Indochina; M .s. basileus occurs in south Indochina. Based on plumage it appears that birds in HK are M. s. rex.

CONSERVATION STATUS

IUCN: Least Concern. Population trend increasing.