Fire-breasted flowerpecker (Dicaeum ignipectus to Dicaeum ignipectum) is found in a large area from northern India east through much of SE Asia through much of southern China as far east as Taiwan. This is also found further south in Malaysia and Sumatra. There are several subspecies found in the Philippines.

This less than 4 inch flowerpecker is very sexually dimorphic. The male has a blue (green in some races) cape extending onto a blue (green in some races) back and blue (green in some races) dorsal wings with black flight feathers. The face is black. The throat and upper breast is yellow, and the middle breast has a bright red blotch. Below this blotch there is a black vertical stripe and yellow belly. The female is pale to dark olive above and paler below.

There are 8 subspecies. Some races in SE Asia lack the red patch which is replaced with a yellow area.

The nominate subspecies is found in the eastern Himalayan Mountains and east into parts of Myanmar(Burma) and China. The subspecies dolichorhynchum is found from southern Thailand south to Malaysia. The subspecies cambodianum is found from eastern Thailand into Cambodia. This race lacks the red upper breast.

The subspecies formosum is found in the mountains of Taiwan (Formosa). The subspecies luzoniense is found in the northern Philippines. The subspecies bonga is found in the central Philippines, and the subspecies apo is found in the southern Philippines. The subspecies beccarii is found in the mountains of Sumatra.

This species is common in most areas in its range.

The flowerpecker genus Dicaeum is found from India south through SE Asia and south through most of Indonesia and the New Guinea area and south into Australia. There are about 38 species in the genus. There are 14 species and many additional subspecies in the Philippines. Several species are very widespread and several are very local. Although not closely related, these birds fill a niche similar to the New World hummingbirds.

Most are about 4 inches total length, and most have very short tails. Several species are very colorful. Most eat small insects, small spiders, seeds, berries, and nectar. Some species are capable of hovering. Cheke notes this genus and its boundaries might need a revision.

The flowerpecker group contains about 44 species of usually colorful birds that are found from SE Asia south and east past New Guinea to the Solomon Islands. These are small to very small brightly colored birds that feed on insects, pollen, and small fruits. Most species have short bills.

This division can be referred to as Passeroidea Part I:
Order Passeriformes (5739 species)
Suborder Passeri (4580 species)
Parvorder Passerida (3473 species)
Superfamily Passeroidea (1656 species)

The 1656 Passeroidea species can be broken into families:
Part I
Family Alaudidae (Larks)----(91)
Family Nectarinidae (Sunbirds)----(170)
Family Melanocharitidae (Berrypickers)----(10)
Family Paramythilidae (Berrypickers)----(2)
Family Passeridae (Sparrows-Pipit)----(388)
Part II
Family Fringillidae (Buntings-Finches)----(995)

In most modern bird taxonomies, the perching birds (Passeriformes) is treated as a single order. This large order has about 5739 different species. A common characteristic of this order is three forward toes and one reverse pointing toe. Most of species are also characterized by a tendon locking mechanism that permits their feet to lock onto branches when they relax. Recently, Monroe and Sibley in 1993 have divided this large order into six main divisions. To help our users navigate this gigantic number of species, we have arbitrarily placed these 6 different divisions at the order level.

This division can be referred to as:
Order Passeriformes (5739 species)
Suborder Passeri (4580 species)
Parvorder Passerida (3473 species)

This large Passerida group can be divided into 3 additional groups as follows:
Superfamily Muscicapoidea (613)
Superfamily Sylvioidea (1204)
Superfamily Passeroidea (1656) 613 + 1204 + 1656 =3473

Aves contains about 8,650 different species of living birds known to science. Each year about one new species is discovered in some remote rain forest or remote island. In addition, scientists have been raising many subspecies to full species status which may raise the species count to 10,000. Birdlife recognizes 10,027 species as of 2011.

However, each year about one species goes extinct. The rate of extinction is increasing, and the rate of new discovery is decreasing, so that the number of bird species will soon begin to decline rapidly. Although different taxonomists would organize the birds differently, there are approximately twenty-seven orders of birds. These orders are broken down into about one hundred and fifty-five different families.

Recent research of the genetic structure of some of the shore birds and owls would indicate that the present organization of orders and families should have some modification.

The birds are a worldwide group of animals that are characterized by having the front limbs modified into wings that are used for flying. Perhaps the most unique feature of the birds is the feathers. These feathers are made up of a central support called a quill and a series of small filaments that are hooked together as barbs.

For many years it was believed that Archaeopteryx discovered in Bavaria was the oldest bird from about 150 million years ago. However, in l986, Sankar Chattterjee, a Texas paleontologist, reportedly discovered a bird in the genus Protoavis that lived about 225 million years ago.

When this project was begun in 1978, we used Austin & Singer for bird taxonomy. Since then, we have adopted many changes, but have kept some older concepts that are still found widely in the literature. Recently, we have used Clements and Howard & Moore. Very recently, we have used Monroe and Sibley for the higher taxonomy of the perching birds.

Backboned Animals (Phylum Chordata) are the most advanced group of animals on earth. These animals are characterized by having a spinal cord or backbone. Most members have a clearly defined brain that controls the organism through a spinal cord. Fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals are in this phylum.

Currently, some taxonomists believe that the fish should be divided into two groups (sharks and regular fishes) and that there are some other primitive groups in the phylum such as hagfish or lampreys.

Animal Kingdom contains numerous organisms that feed on other animals or plants. Included in the animal kingdom are the lower marine invertebrates such as sponges and corals, the jointed legged animals such as insects and spiders, and the backboned animals such as fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.

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