White-collared Blackbird

The white-collared blackbird is a thrush found across the Indian subcontinent in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan. On the Tibetan Plateau it can breed twice a year; the first attempt gives small clutches from which a few nestlings fledge in high body condition, and the second larger clutches with more chicks fledged but in lower body condition, differences thought to be driven by parental feeding behaviour and seasonal food availability (Wikipedia, general species account).

Chicks are fed plant material, especially berries, and invertebrates such as arthropods and annelids. Field studies indicated that females, but not males, show different nest-defence behaviours that can classify them as bold or shy, and bold females had higher nest success. SoIB 2023 treats it as a Himalayan endemic and rates it a Moderate conservation priority, a resident and altitudinal migrant forest bird and omnivore with a Moderate range of about 66,900 km² and a rapid long-term decline of about 70% (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).