Chinese Hwamei

Garrulax canorus

Range

• China & Hawaii

Habitat

• Forests

Diet

• Insects
• Fruits
• Seeds

‘Hwamei’ means ‘painted eyebrow’ in Mandarin, and is how this famous songbird gets its name.

Though it is a common bird in China, and Hawaii where it was introduced, it is shy which makes it hard to spot. They can easily be picked out when they sing, their attractive song earning them the name ‘melodious laughing thrush’. Rather than find food in trees, they forage on the ground for insects, fruits, and seeds.