common tailorbird

The scientific name sutorius means "cobbler" rather than "tailor" while Orthotomus means "straight-cutting".{{cite book|year=1909|pages=62–67|title=Birds of the plains|author=Dewar, Douglas|publisher=John Lane|url=https://archive.org/stream/birdsofplainsdew00dewarich#page/62/mode/2up}}

The species was earlier placed in the family Sylviidae but more recent molecular studies place the species within the family Cisticolidae, along with Prinia and Cisticola.{{cite journal |title=Phylogeny and classification of the avian superfamily Sylvioidea |author1=Alström, Per |author2=Ericson, PG |author3=Urban Olsson |author4=Per Sundberg |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |volume=38 |year=2006 |pages=381–397 |doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2005.05.015 |url=http://www.nrm.se/download/18.4e1d3ca810c24ddc70380001143/Alstr%C3%B6m+et+al+Sylvioidea+MPEV+2006.pdf|pmid=16054402|issue=2|bibcode=2006MolPE..38..381A }}

A number of subspecies are recognized within its widespread range in South Asia and Southeast Asia.

• O.s. sutorius: Lowlands of Sri Lanka
• O.s. fernandonis: Highlands of Sri Lanka
• O.s. guzuratus: Indian peninsula, West to Pakistan
• O.s. patia: The Terai of Nepal along the Himalayan foothills until Myanmar. A small population of O. s. patia is also found in the northern Eastern Ghats (Wangasara).{{cite journal|last=Ripley|first=S. Dillon|author2=Beehler, Bruce M.|author3=Raju, KSR Krishna|year=1988|title=Birds of the Visakhapatnam Ghats, Andhra Pradesh-2|url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/48804604|journal=J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc.|volume=85|issue=1|pages=90–107}}
• O.s. luteus: Hills of Northeast India
• O.s. inexpectatus and O.s. maculicollis: Thailand, Laos and Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnam
• O. s. inexpectatus and O. s. maculicollis: South east China, including the island of Hainan
• O. s. longicauda: Tonkin in Vietnam
• O. s. edela: Java

The common tailorbird is a brightly coloured bird, with bright green upperparts and creamy underparts. They range in size from {{convert|10|to|14|cm|in}} and weigh {{convert|6|to|10|g|oz}}. They have short rounded wings, a long tail, strong legs and a sharp bill with curved tip to the upper mandible. They are wren-like with a long upright tail that is often moved around. The crown is rufous and the upperparts are predominantly olive green. The underside is creamy white. The sexes are identical, except that the male has long central tail feathers in the breeding season, although the reliability of sexing data accompanying museum specimens used in determining this sexual dimorphism has been questioned.{{cite journal |last1=Ali |first1=Salim |last2=Whistler |first2=Hugh |author-link=Salim Ali |authorlink2=Hugh Whistler |year=1939 |title= The birds of Central India. Part I.|journal=J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. |volume=41|issue=1|pages=82–106|url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/47873435}} Young birds are duller. When calling, the dark patches on the sides of the neck become visible.{{cite journal |last=Cave |first=Walter A. |year=1913 |title=The Birds of Colombo |journal=Spolia Zeylanica |volume=8 |pages=94–115 |url=https://archive.org/stream/spoliazeylanica08nati#page/96/mode/2up}} These are due to the dark pigmented and bare skin that are present in both sexes and sometimes give the appearance of a dark gorget.{{cite book|last1=Ali |first1=S. |last2=Ripley |first2=S.D. |title=Handbook of the birds of India and Pakistan |edition=2nd |publisher=Oxford University Press |volume= 8 |year= 1997 |pages=78–84 |isbn=0195636570}}

Like most warblers, the common tailorbird is insectivorous. The song is a loud {{not a typo|cheeup-cheeup-cheeup}} with variations across the populations. The disyllabic calls are repeated often. Tailorbirds are found singly or in pairs, usually low in the undergrowth or trees, sometimes hopping on the ground. They forage for insects and have been known to feed on a range of beetles and bugs. They are attracted to insects at flowers and are known to favour the inflorescences of mango. They also visit flowers such as those of Bombax, Salmalia for nectar and are sometimes covered in pollen, giving them a golden-headed appearance.

The birds roost alone during the non-breeding season but may roost side-by-side during the breeding season, sometimes with the newly fledged juvenile sandwiched between the adults. The roost sites chosen are thin twigs on trees with cover above them and were often close to human habitation and lights.{{cite journal |title=Roosting behaviour of common tailorbird Orthotomus sutorius (Pennant) |author= Andheria, A. P. |journal=J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. |year=2002 |volume=99 |pages=312–315 |url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/48604210}}

Image:Common Tailorbird (Orthotomus sutorius) Nest in Hyderabad, AP W IMG 7248.jpg

The breeding season is March to December peaking from June to August in India, coinciding with the wet season. In Sri Lanka the main breeding periods are March to May and August to September, although they can breed throughout the year.{{cite book|last1=Rasmussen |first1=P.C. |last2=Anderton |first2=J.C. |author-link=Pamela C. Rasmussen |year=2005 |title=Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide. Vol. 2 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution & Lynx Edicions |page=477}}

Although the name is derived from their nest construction habit, the nest is not unique and is also found in many Prinia warblers. The nest is a deep cup, lined with soft materials and placed in thick foliage and the leaves holding the nest have the upper surfaces outwards making it difficult to spot. The punctures made on the edge of the leaves are minute and do not cause browning of the leaves, further aiding camouflage. The nest lining of a nest in Sri Lanka that was studied by Casey Wood was found to be lined with lint from Euphorbia, Ceiba pentandra and Bombax malabaricum species. Jerdon wrote that the bird made knots, however no knots are used. Wood classified the processes used by the tailorbird in nest as sewing, rivetting, lacing and matting. In some cases the nest is made from a single large leaf, the margins of which are rivetted together. Sometimes the fibres from one rivet are extended into an adjoining puncture and appearing more like sewing.{{cite book |year=1925 |publisher=Smithsonian Report |author=Wood, Casey A. |title=The nest of the Indian tailor bird |pages=349–354 |url=https://archive.org/stream/annualreportofbo1925smit#page/n387/mode/2up}} The stitch is made by piercing two leaves and drawing fibre through them. The fibres fluff out on the outside and in effect they are more like rivets.{{cite journal |author=Neelakantan, K.K. |year=1976 |title=On some nests of the Tailor Bird (Orthotomus sutorius) |journal= J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. |volume=73 |issue=2 |pages=396–400|url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/48293399}} There are many variations in the nest and some may altogether lack the cradle of leaves. One observer noted that the birds did not utilize cotton that was made available{{cite journal|author=Briggs, F.S. |year=1929 |title= A note on the breeding of the Tailor Bird Orthotomus sutorius |journal= J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. |volume=33 |issue=3 |pages=710–712|url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/47489882}} while another observer, Edward Hamilton Aitken, was able to induce them to use artificially supplied cotton.{{cite book |page=106 |title=The common birds of Bombay |author=Aitken, Edward H.|year=1900 |publisher=Thacker & Co |url=https://archive.org/stream/commonbirdsofbom00aitkrich#page/106/mode/2up}} The usual clutch is three eggs.{{cite journal |title=Nest structure variation in Common Tailorbird Orthotomus sutorius in Kutch, Gujarat |author1=Tiwari, J.K. |author2=Anupama |year=2006 |journal=Indian Birds |volume=2 |issue=1 |page=15 |url=http://www.indianbirds.in/pdfs/Nest%20structure%20variation.pdf |access-date=2009-10-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720174658/http://www.indianbirds.in/pdfs/Nest%20structure%20variation.pdf |archive-date=2011-07-20 |url-status=dead }}{{cite book |author=Whistler, Hugh |year=1949 |title=Popular Handbook of Indian. Birds Edition 4. |pages=167–168 |publisher=Gurney and Jackson |url=https://archive.org/stream/popularhandbooko033226mbp#page/n207/mode/2up}}

The incubation period is about 12 days. Both male and female feed the young. Mortality of eggs and chicks is high due to predation by rodents, cats, crow-pheasants, lizards and other predators. The young birds fledge in about 14 days. The female alone incubates according to some sources, while others suggest that both sexes incubate; however, both parents take part in feeding and sanitation.{{cite journal |author=Neelakantan, K.K. |year=1976 |title=On a nesting pair of Tailor Birds (Orthotomus sutorius) |journal=J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. |volume=73|issue=1|pages=219–221|url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/48293210}} The males are said to feed the incubating female. An unusual case of a pair of tailorbirds adopting chicks in an artificially translocated nest belonging to a different pair has been recorded.{{cite journal |author=Rane, Ulhas |year=1983 |title= Unusual adoption by Tailor Birds (Orthotomus sutorius Pennant) |journal=J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. |volume=80 |issue=3 |pages=641–642|url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/48744275}} Nests are sometimes parasitized by the Plaintive Cuckoo (Cacomantis merulinus).

File:BirdsAsiaJohnGoIVGoul 0036.jpg's engraving for Birds of Asia]]

"Rikki-Tikki-Tavi", one of Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book stories, includes a tailorbird couple, Darzee (which means "tailor" in Urdu) and his wife, as two of the key characters.{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/stream/birdsofcalcutta00finnrich#page/34/mode/2up |pages=34–38 |title=Birds of Calcutta |author=Finn, Frank |year=1904 |publisher=Thacker, Spink & Co}} Darzee's wife is said to have feigned injury, but this behaviour is unknown in this species.{{cite journal|title=Injury-Feigning in Nesting Birds|author=Swarth, Harry S. |journal=The Auk |volume=52|issue=3|year=1935|pages=352–354|doi=10.2307/4077800|jstor=4077800 }} A classic book of children's folk tales in Bengali by Upendrakishore Ray is titled "Tuntunir Boi", after the local name for the species, tuntuni.{{cite book|title=Garden and aviary birds of India|edition=2nd|author=Finn, Frank| year=1915|publisher=Thacker, Spink & co.|url=https://archive.org/stream/birdgardenaviary00finnrich#page/34/mode/2up|page=35}}

File:Common Tailorbird (Orthotomus sutorius) gleaning insects from Kapok (Ceiba pentandra) flower buds in Kolkata W IMG 3802.jpg|Foraging for insects in Kolkata, West Bengal, India

File:Orthotomus sutorius.jpg|Male of subspecies O. s. guzuratus with elongated central tail feathers

File:Nest of tailorbird.jpg|Leaf holding the nest showing "rivets"

File:Eggs of Tailorbird inside of nest.jpg|View from above showing eggs

File:CommonTailorbird DSCN8947.jpg|Male with elongated central tail feathers singing showing dark bare skin under neck feathers

File:Tailorbird_roosting.jpg|Roosting tailorbird

File:Common Tailor Bird, Juvenile.jpg|Juvenile in Pallikaranai wetland, Chennai

{{Reflist|2}}

• {{cite journal|author=Sen, S.N. |year=1947|title= An early nest of the Tailor Bird [Orthotomus sutorius (Pennant)]|journal= J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc.|volume=47|issue=1|pages=159–160|url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/48201173}}
• {{cite journal|author=Green, E.E. |year=1899|title=Birds tapping at window-panes |journal=J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc.|volume=12|issue=2|page=415|url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/7148114}}
• {{cite journal|author=Fernando, H.F. |year=1913 |title= Note on "Orthotomus sutorius" – the Indian Tailor Bird| journal=Spolia Zeylanica|volume=8|issue=32|pages=300–302|url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/11194370}}

• [http://ibc.lynxeds.com/species/common-tailorbird-orthotomus-sutorius Internet Bird Collection]
• [http://www.naturia.per.sg/buloh/birds/Orthotomus_sutorius.htm In Singapore]
• [https://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs.cmu.edu/usr/mongoose/www/rtt.html Rikki Tikki Tavi by Rudyard Kipling]

{{Taxonbar|from=Q795556}}

common tailorbird

Category:Birds of Indomalaya

common tailorbird

Category:Taxa named by Thomas Pennant