Liocichla omeiensis

The foreign name of the Gray-breasted Bush Babbler is Omei Shan Liocichla, and there is no subspecies.

Deignan (1964) believed that the gray-breasted bush thrush may be the same species as the yellow-spotted bush thrush (Liocichla steerii) distributed in Taiwan, China. Delacour (1933, 1946) believed that this species and the yellow-spotted bush thrush were obviously different in morphology, and regarded them as two different species. This opinion was later accepted by most scholars. De Schauemee (1984) believed that they were not only different in morphology, but also in song. Zheng Zuoxin (1987, 1994) also supported this opinion and regarded the gray-breasted bush thrush and the yellow-spotted bush thrush as two different species.

The gray-breasted bush thrush is a resident bird. The gray-breasted bush thrush is timid and afraid of people. It usually hides in dense bushes, bamboo groves or the crowns of small trees. When it is singing in an area, it is usually only heard but not seen. Once it finds someone approaching, it stops singing or flies away immediately. The Grey-breasted Bushbaby begins to sing in the middle of April. The typical singing in the area consists of 2-4 clear flute-like syllables, which sound like "di, yu-yu-yu-" or "di-yu-yu" and "di-yu". There are more than 10 different syllable combinations and melody changes in the singing in the area, including 1 syllable, 2 syllables, 3 syllables, 4 syllables and different rhythms. Yang Chengzhong et al. (2009) recorded that the singing of the Grey-breasted Bushbaby in the area has three types: monosyllable, 2 syllables, and 4 syllables.

Grey-breasted Bushbaby mainly feeds on insects and plant fruits and seeds.

The Grey-breasted Bush Babbler arrives at the breeding area in late March or early April, and the breeding season is from April to August. The nests are bowl-shaped and built between the branches of square bamboo, which is very hidden. The nest is 90-115 mm high, 50-61 mm deep, 110-122 mm in outer diameter, 66-77 mm in inner diameter, and 850 mm above the ground. The outer layer of the nest is made of bamboo leaves, grass stems, etc., and the inner layer is made of slender plant fibrous roots. The number of eggs in the nest is 3. The egg-laying period is mid-May. The incubation period is about 14 days, and the chick period is about 13-14 days. The female and male Grey-breasted Bush Babblers raise their chicks together. When it rains and the temperature is low, both the female and male birds will return to the nest to warm the chicks, but the male birds warm the chicks less frequently and for less time than the female birds. It was observed that the parent birds ate the young birds' feces and food residues during feeding to keep the nest clean. The young birds feed on insect larvae and small moths.

The behavior of the parent birds near the nest during incubation and brooding is different from that when they are occupying the territory and singing. When occupying the territory, they will stop singing or fly away immediately if they find someone approaching, while during the brooding period, they will show two behaviors. When the observer approaches 5 meters from the nest, the parent birds active nearby will make a warning call and approach the observer at the same time. Their reaction is to move forward to observe, with the male bird in front and the female bird following, and continue to make calls around the observer until the observer leaves. One of the warning calls is a more rapid "squeak-squeak-" sound, and the other is a more gentle "squeak-squeak-squeak". When the observer is a little far away from the nest, the parent birds will make a warning call and move away from the nest at the same time, trying to lure the observer away from the nest.

The Grey-breasted Bushbaby is a bird endemic to China, with a narrow distribution area, a small population, and is uncommon. It is a rare and endangered bird. In 2001, a detailed analysis of the records concluded that "its total number may be small", that is, 2500-9999. This is equivalent to 1667-6666 mature individuals.

On June 9, 2022, bird-watching enthusiasts He Jibai and Meng Shanshan recorded a national first-class key protected wild animal, a Grey-breasted Bushbaby, at an altitude of 2100 meters in Xiling Snow Mountain Scenic Area, Dayi County, Chengdu. According to the "Chengdu Bird List 2.0" and the latest results of Chengdu bird monitoring in recent years, Chengdu has recorded 532 bird species.

The main threat to the Grey-breasted Bushbaby is the loss and fragmentation of forests within their range, many of which have been deforested or degraded through logging and conversion to agriculture. Although large-scale commercial logging is prohibited in this part of China, the remaining forest areas are under some pressure and the species is able to adapt to logged forest habitats, surviving in secondary growth and bamboo. Disturbance from people collecting bamboo shoots and other forest products, grazing livestock, and capturing for export as caged birds may be a minor threat (Jie Wangin litt, 2007). A new threat may come from reforestation programs, with new laws allowing small owners to clear native scrub on hillsides to plant commercial plant species (fruit trees, medicinal trees, or shrubs) (S.Francis in litt, 2016).

Listed in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (IUCN 2017 ver 3.1) - Vulnerable (VU).  

Listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) - Appendix II.  

Listed in the "List of Terrestrial Wildlife with Important Economic and Scientific Research Value under State Protection" (item 507) issued by the State Forestry Administration of China on August 1, 2000.

It has been included in the Bird Life International list of endangered birds. China's Sichuan Province has also included it in the province's list of key protected wild animals.

Listed in China's "National List of Key Protected Wild Animals" (February 5, 2021) Level 1.

Protect wild animals and eliminate game.

Maintaining ecological balance is everyone's responsibility!

The Grey-breasted Bushbaby is a bird endemic to China, and is only found in Tianquan, Ya'an, Emei, Mabian, Ebian, Pingshan and Erlangshan in central and western Sichuan, China.
The Grey-breasted Bushbaby mainly inhabits evergreen broad-leaved forests, secondary forests, bamboo forests and forest edge thickets below 2,400 meters above sea level, and often moves or forages in the undergrowth or on the ground. The altitude throughout the breeding season is 1,400-2,400 meters, while in winter it migrates to lower levels to between 500-1,350 meters. The Grey-breasted Bushbaby uses different habitats in different seasons. Its breeding habitat is mainly shrubs and bamboos, while its winter habitat is mainly shrubs and herbs.

The forehead is orange-yellow, the top of the head to the occiput is blue-gray with white feather rachis patterns, and the eyebrow lines are orange-yellow. From the base of the forehead to the side of the neck. The cheeks and ear feathers are gray or olive gray, the back neck is orange, the rest of the upper body is gray olive or gray olive yellow, the tail is square, olive green, and the outer tail feathers are olive brown. All tail feathers have black horizontal spots, especially the central pair of tail feathers. The horizontal spots are the most prominent, and gradually become blurry and unclear on the outer tail feathers. The tips of the tail feathers are reddish, and the tips of the two outer tail feathers are yellow. The wing coverts are the same color as the back. The flight feathers are black, the outer edge of the outer 1-2 primary flight feathers is yellow, starting from the third primary flight feather, the base of the outer edge is reddish red, the distal edge is yellow, t