IDENTIFICATION

VOCALISATIONS

Notable for the infrequency with which it is heard in song, which is a short, pacey phrase formed of several notes that vary in pitch.

The alarm call, which is readily given, is a high-pitched and forceful rattle.

A more relaxed chattering rattle is given by foraging flocks.

Contact calls are short often double-note ‘chi-tik’ notes.

DISTRIBUTION & HABITAT PREFERENCE

The status of Huet’s Fulvetta in HK has changed over the years, both taxonomically and in terms of its placement on the HK list. Carey et al. (2001) treated the then ‘’Grey-cheeked Fulvetta Alcippe morrisonia’’ as a Category E species (that is, one for which all records were considered to relate to birds that had escaped or been released from captivity). Records were listed for 1984 and almost annually from 1992, with counts of up to eight birds, largely from Tai Po Kau and Ng Tung Chai, but also from Tai Tam CP, Kowloon Hills Catchwater and Ho Chung.

This remained the situation until 2010 when HKBWS took the decision to follow the IOC taxonomically (Carey 2011). The IOC checklist followed Zou et al. (2006) and Song et al. (2009) in splitting the former A. morrisonia into four species. However, whilst it seemed most likely that the southeast China taxon defined in this split, Huet’s Fulvetta A. hueti, was the form present here, it was not certain since there were no published diagnostic morphological or vocal features, and it was considered the HK population was derived from ex-captive individuals that might not originate in southeast China. Accordingly, the decision was taken to remove ‘Grey-cheeked Fulvetta’ from the HK list, and records were published as relating to Alcippe sp. for the years 2009-11.

Subsequently, however, based on vocalisations Leven et al. (2013) demonstrated that birds in HK belonged to this taxon. Accordingly, the HKBWS Records Committee placed Huet’s Fulvetta on the HK list and, in the light of the significant increase in records in recent years, took the decision to place it in Category IIA, following Leven and Corlett (2004), who regarded it as a species for which the HK population was most likely of captive origin but one which had probably been present prior to anthropogenic habitat changes in the form of deforestation. It should be noted that while the conclusion of Leven et al. (2013) that the song recorded from a bird in HK (see above) was that of Huet’s Fulvetta, the comparison song of a supposed David’s Fulvetta A. davidi was also Huet’s Fulvetta.

Table 1 illustrates how the population of Huet’s Fulvetta has increased since 1999. Unlike some other recently established forest species the increase has been rather slow, both in terms of geographical spread and in the number of individuals seen but does appear to be continuing.

Table 1. Huet’s Fulvetta: number of sites and aggregate of maximum counts at each site, 1999 to 2020.

Much the most important site is Tai Po Kau, where it has been recorded every year since 2001; the highest count on record in HK was made there (50 on 8 January 2015). Other important sites where it is now reported annually are also in the central New Territories: Shing Mun, Ng Tung Chai and Tai Lam CP. Huet’s Fulvetta was reported from 0.4% of squares in the first (1993-96) breeding atlas, 0.6% of squares in the first (2001-05) winter atlas and 2.0% and 1.8% of squares in the second (2016-19) breeding and winter atlases respectively.

Away from the central New Territories it remains uncommon or rare, although recent reports (largely post-2020) suggest that it is slowly increasing and expanding its range in the eastern New Territories. There are a handful of reports listed on eBird from wetland sites (Mai Po, San Tin and Long Valley) in the northern New Territories, but in view of the anomalous habitat and absence of supporting details, it seems highly likely that these reports are erroneous or wrongly attributed to these sites. A few records from Kowloon Park most likely refer to ex-captive birds, but a handful of observations of small parties in suitable habitat on HK Island and the uplands of Lantau are more interesting: do these comprise birds which have dispersed from the core range, or are they derived from different (ex-captive) sources?

Huet’s Fulvetta appears to be restricted to larger blocks of broadleaved forest with a well-developed shrub layer where it generally utilises the lower levels – the shrub layer and groups of climbers.

OCCURRENCE

There is no evidence of any movements into HK; though it occurs at Wutongshan, Shenzhen, opposite Robin’s Nest, there are no records from the northern New Territories (other than the problematic records from Mai Po and nearby wetlands discussed above) or from migration ‘hot spots’ elsewhere in HK.

BREEDING

Breeding ecology has not yet been described in HK.

BEHAVIOUR, FORAGING & DIET

Outside the breeding season Huet’s Fulvetta is usually found in flocks. In Guangdong Province it often occurs in large single-species flocks or forms a major component of mixed flocks. However, in HK, presumably because it is rarer, it is more usually found as a couple of birds in a mixed babbler flock (it occurs with Rufous-capped Babblers in particular), but flocks of up 20 to 30 birds do occur. In the breeding season it is more often found as pairs, which may be quite secretive and are best detected by their chattering calls as the song is given rather infrequently.

Huet’s Fulvetta, like other small babblers, is probably an insectivore-frugivore but its diet and foraging behaviour do not appear to have been studied in HK.

RANGE & SYSTEMATICS

Restricted to southeast China from Guangxi and Guizhou east to Anhui and Zhejiang (Liu and Chen 2020). It is widespread in Guangdong including at Wutongshan, approximately 5 km from Robin’s Nest (eBird 2023).

The nominate race is endemic to southeast China, including HK, whilst A. h. rufescentior is restricted to Hainan (Liu and Chen 2021).

CONSERVATION STATUS

IUCN: Huet’s Fulvetta is treated as part of Grey-cheeked Fulvetta Alcippe morrisonia, which is assessed as of Least Concern with population trend unknown.