Common Iora : Information

Updated: Jul 9, 2021

The common iora (Aegithina tiphia) is a small passerine bird found across the tropical Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, with populations showing plumage variations, some of which are designated as subspecies. A species found in scrub and forest, it is easily detected from its loud whistles and the bright colours. During the breeding season, males display by fluffing up their feathers and spiral in the air appearing like a green, black, yellow, and white ball. ( from google mata )

looks - Breeding adult males are black above and rich yellow below with white wingbars. In nonbreeding plumage the upperparts are greenish-yellow, but the wings are still black with white wingbars. The female is similar in appearance to a nonbreeding male. These birds are quite vocal and can produce a wide variety of calls.
Size - 14 cm
Eye Colour - Black
Found In - across the tropical Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia ( Like - India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal ) A species found in scrub and forest, it is easily detected from its loud whistles and the bright colours.

Body Parts -

Sound - mixture of churrs and a trilled "wheee-tee" sound. These birds are known to imitate the calls of other species of birds.

Note : Don't Confuse Between Common Iora And Indian White Eye.

You Can Identify By Eye Colour

Feeding Behavior - The diet of the common iora consists mainly of insects and spiders. Crickets, spiders, locust, grasshoppers, dragonflies, moths, mantids, stick insects, worms, grubs, termites, ants and beetles are their primary food.

These species glean insects from foliage and also from trunk and branches. In rare occasions, they hawk flying insects.

Reproduction And Breeding Habitat - The breeding season of the common iora species is from January to September in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal.

The male common ioras make courtship displays by darting up into the air, fluffing up all feathers and spiralling down to the perch.

These species are monogamous. The breeding pair build a compact, shallow cup-shaped nest on a fork of a tree. The nest is a shallow saucer of interwoven grass, cobwebs and fibres.

The typical clutch contains two to four pale green eggs with pinkish speckles. The male incubates during the day and the female incubates during the night. The chicks hatch out in 14 days. Both parents brood the chicks and also feed them.

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Migration And Movement Patterns - These common iora species are non-migrant resident birds. Nomadic movements have been observed due to weather conditions and abundance of food.

Post breeding, the juvenile ioras may disperse and establish in new locations within the range. They may make local movements for feeding and breeding within their range.

Conservation and survival - The global population size of the common iora (Aegithina tiphia) has not been quantified. The overall population trend of these species is unknown.

Throughout its range this iora species is reported to be common. The generation length is 4.8 years. Its distribution size is about 14,900,000 sq.km.

Habitat degradation and fragmentation, decline in insect populations due to indiscriminate use of pesticides are the main threats that may endanger the survival of these iora species.