The Indian Subcontinent provides suitable habitats to various species of birds for residing and nesting. Minivets are no exception in this regard. Various types of Minivets have been recorded in India. Those described and mentioned below belong to the kingdom, Animalia; phylum, Chordata; class, Aves; order, Passeriformes; family, Campephagidae; and genus, Pericrocotus.
Ashy Minivet
The species named Ashy Minivet has a scientific name Pericrocotus Divaricatus. It is a winter visitor of India. The male bird has grey upper body and whitish lower body. There is a black cap on the bird and black colored bill and feet. Its forehead is white in appearance and so are the outer tail feathers. A white band is evident across the flight-feathers of the bird.
The female counterpart has a grey colored cap. There is a black band between the bill and eye and a narrow white band above it. The length of Ashy Minivet ranges from about 18.5 to 20 cm.
Small Minivet
The species named Small Minivet is Pericrocotus Cinnamomeus. It is a widespread resident of India. This Minivet has a length of about 16 cm. The male bird has grey colored head and upperparts. The underparts of the bird are orange in appearance, which turns to yellow on the belly. The tail edges, rump and wing patches are also orange in color. The female counterpart has grey upper body and yellow colored underparts. The tail edges, rump and wing patches are also yellow in color. The male P. c. pallidus has pale grey upper body and whitish underparts, excluding the throat and flanks. It has been recorded in the northwestern part of the Indian Subcontinent. The male P. C. Malabaricus has darker upper body and more extensive scarlet below. It has been recorded in peninsular and southern India.
Scarlet Minivet
The species named Scarlet Minivet is P. Speciosus. The male Scarlet Minivet P. Speciosus has black colored head and upperparts. It has a strong dark beak. The wings of the bird are long. The underparts, tail edges, rump and wing patches are scarlet in appearance. It is important to note that the shape and color of the wing patches and the shade or orange in the male varies across populations. The female bird has grey upper body and the underparts (including the face), tail edges, rump and wing patches are yellow in color. The length of Scarlet Minivet ranges from 20 to 22 cm.
Other Indian Minivets
Grey-Chinned Minivet (Pericrocotus Solaris), White-Bellied Minivet (P. Erythropygius), Rosy Minivet (P. Roseus) and Long-tailed Minivet (P. Ethologus) are some of the other Minivets which have been recorded in India.
