🎵 Hear this bird singing nearby?Identify its song free →

Common Tailorbird

Orthotomus sutorius · Species of bird
Order
Passeriformes
Codes
comtai1, COTA

About the Common Tailorbird

The common tailorbird is a songbird found across tropical Asia. Popular for its nest made of leaves "sewn" together and immortalized by Rudyard Kipling as Darzee in his Jungle Book, it is a common resident in urban gardens. Although shy birds that are usually hidden within vegetation, their loud calls are familiar and give away their presence. They are distinctive in having a long upright tail, greenish upper body plumage and rust coloured forehead and crown. This passerine bird is typically found in open farmland, scrub, forest edges and gardens. Tailorbirds get their name from the way their nest is constructed. The edges of a large leaf are pierced and sewn together with plant fibre or spider silk to make a cradle in which the actual nest is built. Punjab tailor birds produce shiny red eggs, but became extinct around 1975 due to laying their eggs in fields used to grow fodder crops.

Source: Wikipedia

Taxonomy & Classification

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassAves
OrderPasseriformes
FamilyCisticolas and Allies (Cisticolidae)
SpeciesOrthotomus sutorius
Species Codescomtai1, COTA

Frequently Asked Questions

What family does the Common Tailorbird belong to?

The Common Tailorbird (Orthotomus sutorius) belongs to the Cisticolas and Allies family (Cisticolidae), in the order Passeriformes.

How can I identify the Common Tailorbird?

The common tailorbird is a songbird found across tropical Asia. Popular for its nest made of leaves \"sewn\" together and immortalized by Rudyard Kipling as Darzee in his Jungle Book, it is a common resident in urban gardens. Although shy birds that are usually hidden within vegetation, their loud cal...

Where can I report a Common Tailorbird sighting?

You can log sightings of Common Tailorbird on eBird (ebird.org) using species code comtai1, or on iNaturalist.