Golden-fronted Leafbird

Chloropsis aurifrons

Other Interesting Species:
Mandarin Duck
Palm Cockatoo
Palm Cockatoo
Ducorps Cockatoo

The Golden-fronted Leafbird (Chloropsis aurifrons) is a species of leafbird. It is a common resident breeder in India, Sri Lanka, and parts of Southeast Asia. It often includes the Sumatran Leafbird (C. media) from Sumatra as a subspecies, but the two differ extensively in, among others, morphology.

Its habitat is forest and scrub. It builds its nest in a tree, laying 2-3 eggs. This species eats insects and berries.

The adult is green-bodied with a black face and throat bordered with yellow. It has an orange forehead and blue moustachial line, but lacks the blue flight feathers and tail sides of Blue-winged Leafbird. Young birds have a plain green head.

The southern Indian race, C. a. frontalis, has a narrower yellow border to black face. The throat is black and it has a blue sub-moustachial stripe and duller orange forehead. Towards the extreme south of India and Sri Lanka the race insularis occurs which is slightly smaller than frontalis

I found that there are not many information avaiable about this species in the internet. One of the best information that I found is from one member in Malaysia Bird Forum which he post about his experiance with this golden fronted leafbird species.

The most common and legal (no need for licence) is the Golden Fronted leafbird. Its found in Upper India, Burma across to Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, south China, Sumatra.

A couple of photos : Golden Fronted leafbird






The second most sought after leafbird is the Greater Green leafbird. This bird is fully protected in Malaysia and if I correct, in all Asean countries - not sure about Singapore - they don't seem to afford much protection to birds.

Here is a picture of the Greater Green leafbird:

(Damn! the picture wouldn't load!)
An immediate difference is the absence of the yellow/gold plummage on the crown and below the blue breast.

CAUTION: RM5000/= Fine and/or jail for keeping the Greater Green leafbird.
General notes on caring for Golden Fronted leafbird:
Golden fronted leafbird
Fabulous songster. It is a good mimic of all sorts of sounds. But it cannot beat the Shama, thats just a personal opinion.

What it lacks in terms of song, it makes up for it with its brilliant plummage as compared to the dull brown, balck and white rump of the Shama.
It is a messy eater, you can be sure that will mess up its cage - the sides and also the floor when it feeds.

Feed:

1) Same pellets as Puteh, if you can get har liew thats good, if not use my greenbean recipe.

2) Fresh fruits daily. Favourites are: papayas, apples, oranges, bananas and the star angled bean (this is a vegetable with a hard/tough skin, the Chinese usually boil soup with it, cut it cross-section and stick it on the fork).

3) Appreciates live food - order of priority: grasshoppers, honeybees, beetle grubs (fat juicy ones, you can find them in rotten tree trunks underneath the bark) and small crickets.

4) Nectar (as per my recipe, include a tiny bit of Vit B is ok) twice or three times a week.

Btw, make sure you provide lots of water, it drinks quite abit.

5) Cage: similar to Jambul cages but get a bigger one - at least Ht2.75', Width 2' x 2'.

6) Easily tamed, similar method to what I prescribed for Putehs

7) No licence required but do note that these birds are being trapped by the dozens, especially in the Yunnan region and Vietnam. So buying one means that you are also perpetuating the trade in these lovely birds.

8. Cage is hung about one to two feet above your head.

9) Get a simple cage with as few carvings on the bamboo sides etc. The cage must allow the beauty of the Golden leaf bird shine through and not be distracted by all sorts of carvings and bone china.

10) It sings less when its in an aviary unless the aviary is well planted.
11) Can be bred but problem is difficulty in finding a female.

12) Loves to bathe and loves the morning sun - an hour at least daily.

Would love to get one if I can get the space to keep it. I had one a few years ago and I gave it to a friend in exchange for his tame budgie who could do tricks.

Aiya! Forgot to mention one other thing: The Golden Fronted leaf bird can be conditioned to respond to your whistling. If you can mimic his song, when you whistle, the fellow will respond. Of course you can't teach it in one day. If I remember correctly, it took me more than a month to get my ex-GF leafbird to respond.