Gould's Shortwing

Heteroxenicus stellatus (Gould, 1868)

Gould's Shortwing, Heteroxenicus stellatus, is a passerine in the Muscicapidae that breeds across the Himalayas to north-west Vietnam. It was first described by Gould in 1868. The bird is the only member of Heteroxenicus and was once placed in Brachypteryx. Its breeding range runs through the eastern Himalayas, where it uses rocky ground above the tree-line, and it moves to lower wooded valleys in winter. The name honours John Gould, the English ornithologist and bird artist.

Order

Passeriformes

Family

Muscicapidae — Chats, Old World Flycatchers

Breeding range

Oriental Region: Himalayas to nw Vietnam