Bugun Liocichla

Bugun liocichla 

The Bugun liocichla (Liocichla bugunorum) is a passerine bird species from the Leiothrichidae family closely related to the Emei Shan liocichla. First spotted in 1995 in Arunachal Pradesh, India, it was described as a new species in 2006 by Ramana Athreya.

The Bugun liocichla is a small babbler (22 cm (8.7 in)) with olive-grey plumage and a black cap. The face is marked with prominent orange-yellow lores, and the wings have yellow, red and white patches.

All sightings of the species have been at an altitude of 2,000 m (6,600 ft) on disturbed hillsides covered with shrubs and small trees, with the exception of one sighting on the edge of primary forest.

For a "spectacular bird" with distinctive calls to have been overlooked until 1995 suggests that the species is not common. Only three breeding pairs are currently known and is listed as critically endangered.

While the species is capable of living in degraded forests, its small population is considered threatened, especially in the light of plans to build a highway through an area thought to be its primary habitat