Birda Logo
Features
Birda+
About
Species Guide
Challenges
Shop
loading...
A photo of a Grey Hypocolius (Hypocolius ampelinus), male
Grey Hypocolius, Male

Grey Hypocolius

Hypocolius ampelinus

The Grey Hypocolius, Hypocolius ampelinus, is a small passerine bird, unique as the sole member of its genus and family, Hypocoliidae. This bird is a slender creature with a long tail, a slight crest, and a thick, short, hook-tipped bill. Its soft, satiny plumage is reminiscent of the waxwing, and it is primarily a uniform grey or brownish-grey. The male is distinguished by a black triangular mask around the eyes, white-tipped black primary wing feathers, and a black terminal band on the tail. Adults measure approximately 19–21 cm in length.

Identification Tips

When excited, the Grey Hypocolius raises its head feathers. It exhibits a straight, non-undulating flight pattern and can appear babbler-like when hopping in shrubbery. The tarsus is short and sturdy, with coarse scales, and rictal bristles are visible at the base of the bill. The nostrils are small, oval, and exposed.

Habitat

This bird inhabits woodland and scrub in arid and semiarid regions, particularly river valleys near deserts, as well as irrigated and cultivated areas with trees, coastal areas, palm groves, and gardens.

Distribution

The Grey Hypocolius breeds in the Middle East, specifically in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Turkmenistan. It winters near the Red Sea and Persian Gulf coasts of Arabia, including Bahrain, and is a regular winter visitor to the Kutch and Jamnagar regions of western India. It has been recorded as a vagrant in Turkey, Israel, Egypt, and Oman.

Behaviour

A shy and cryptic bird, the Grey Hypocolius will seek thick cover when disturbed and remain motionless until danger passes. It forms flocks, particularly in winter, and roosts communally.

Breeding

The breeding season occurs in June or July in Arabia. The nest is a cup shape, deep, and lined with hair and fluff, often placed on the leaves of a date palm at a height of 3 to 5 feet. Both sexes participate in nest building. The clutch typically consists of four leaden white eggs with blotches, and incubation lasts about 14–15 days.

Diet and Feeding

The Grey Hypocolius forages quietly and methodically in foliage, preferring clusters of trees, palm groves, and orchards, and rarely descends to the ground. Its diet is primarily fruits and berries, such as Real mustard fruits, mulberries, figs, and dates. In captivity, they have been known to accept bread.

Song & Calls

The bird's vocal repertoire includes a series of squealing descending notes or "kleeeu" whistles, as well as scolding chirps.

Conservation status

The Grey Hypocolius is classified as "Least Concern" by the IUCN due to its large range. Its unique taxonomic status makes it a coveted sighting for birdwatchers.

App logo
Birda is a birdwatching app and community aimed at curious people who want to deepen their connection with nature.

Grey Hypocoliuses on Birda

Photos
Birda Logo

Your birdwatching journey like never before

Connect with nature in minutes
Take a walk, look out of the window and log the birds that you see. Feel good about those little connections to nature.
Discover the joy of birding
Find new birding spots, see more birds, share and celebrate with a like-minded community of nature lovers.
Play your part in saving nature
Logging your birding sightings and sessions turns into positive action for our planet. Every sighting counts.

Birda Blog

What Our Birders Say
Birdafan
Ideal Birdwatch Companion
Simply adds to the enjoyment of my birdwatching and helps me record what I’ve seen.
Ellesse_W
Learning Birding with Birda
I’m relatively new to birding as a hobby, and Birda is a great way to keep track off all the species I see. I’m still working on my ID skills, but the app is great for figuring out potential species, and the online community is so friendly and helpful. Definitely recommend Birda to both early and serious birders! 🐦
Jane N
A great app
Enjoying it immensely and finding it useful too. Recording the different birds and counting them is showing me how the present climate is affecting them all. I've trebled the numbers by planting native hedging. A great app.
Safira V
Birding and wellbeing app
Birda is an excellent platform to share your love of Birding and is a great tool of encouragement for a Birding Beginner like me. Birda has a very kind and supportive community of Birding enthusiasts. For me BIRDA is not only a BIRDING but also a WELLBEING App.
Dan R
Great app for bird fanatics
Great app for bird fanatics - very user friendly and a perfect place to share sightings.
Chudbond
Love Birda
I love this app. It really encourages you to log your sightings and the community is friendly and helpful.
Jake W
Great app
I use this app all the time as it’s quick and easy to log individual sightings or whole birding sessions. It’s an excellent way to meet new people and the forum is full of really friendly people. The challenges are a great way to get involved and learn more about birds. Cannot recommend it enough!
Anonymous
The best bird logging app
Birda is honestly the best bird logging app I have seen. I love all the features it has from being able to do a session and log all the birds you see in one sitting, to being able to connect with other birders from all over the globe!
Abi.M
Awesome App
I really enjoy using this app! It is such a friendly community of bird-lovers who are happy to help if I need ID advice. It’s been great motivation to get outdoors and go birding more! 10/10 😍😍
SW H
Wonderful App
Birda is my go to app for keeping records of my bird sightings and sessions. It has fantastic information which is great at aiding identification. With all the updates that are coming in the new year, this app is something special.
As featured in
Birda Logo
AboutPressAmbassadorsAffiliatesInfluencersCareersPrivacyTerms & Conditions
An app for birdwatchers
Connect with us
Copyright Β© 2024 Chirp Birding. All rights reserved.