A Taxonomic Study on Rufous-headed Crowtit in China

There were several systematic studies of Rufous-headed Crowtit (Paradoxornis webbianus).One was undertaken by Deignan (1964),then by Traylor (1967) and recent one by Zheng Zuoxin (1984).Rufous-headed Crowtit have brown-winged and red-winged forms.The latter can farther be divided into ashy-throat and vinous-throated groups.So some ornithologists separated the birds into three species,other ornithologists incorporated all Rufous-headed Crowtits in one specied.The present paper studied geographical distribution,characteristics of skins and comparison of skull.Among red-winged forms,ashy-throated and vinous-throated group patterns connected by ganluoensis,a new subspecies was fund in Sichuan (Li Guiyuan and Zhang Qinmu 1980).Both the groups meet in Yunnan,Sichuan and Guizhou Provinces and intermediary individuls were fund in these areas.So ashy-throated and vinous-throated groups should not be separated into difference species.Brown winged and redwinged forms are isolated by geography.There are none of intermedium forms to be fund.The two groups have remarkable differenced in wing colour.There are also differnces in the shape of process of lachrymal and orbital process of quadrates between brown-winged and red-winged forms.It is considered that Rufous-headed Crowtits should be separated into Paradoxornis brunneus and Paradoxornis webbianus.The latter can be divided into subspecies groups.