Velvet Asity
Philepitta castanea (Müller, PLS, 1776)
14–16 cmLength35 gWeight
The velvet asity (Philepitta castanea) is a bird species in the family Philepittidae that is endemic to Madagascar.
Busiest months: November · Most records: Madagascar
Where and when it's recorded
Busiest months: November · Most records: Madagascar
Velvet Asity has been recorded at 10 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 1 country or region.
Records by month Southern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Ranomafana NPMadagascar499 records
- Ranomafana NP—Sahamalaotra TrackMadagascar232 records
- Andasibe-Mantadia NPMadagascar189 records
More places
- Ranomafana NP – VohipararaMadagascar173 records
- Ranomafana NP – VariboloMadagascar171 records
- Andasibe Mantadia National ParkMadagascar135 records
- Iaroka ForestMadagascar125 records
- PerinetMadagascar83 records
- Analamazaotra Forest StationMadagascar26 records
- V.O.I. M.M.AMadagascar22 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The velvet asity (Philepitta castanea) is a bird species in the family Philepittidae that is endemic to Madagascar. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. Non-breeding males have yellow-tipped feathers, while breeding males have a velvety black plumage with a pair of green fleshy supraorbital caruncles above the eyes.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Velvet Asity?
The Velvet Asity is about 14–16 cm long and weighs around 35 g.
Where does the Velvet Asity live?
Its breeding range: Africa: northwestern, eastern Madagascar. It is most often recorded in Madagascar.
When is the best time to see the Velvet Asity?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in November (Southern Hemisphere).
Is the Velvet Asity endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Velvet Asity as Least Concern.
What does the Velvet Asity eat?
Main food: Fruit.
What family is the Velvet Asity in?
It belongs to the family Asities (Philepittidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).
At a glance
- Length
- 14–16 cm
- Weight
- 35 g
- Habitat
- Forest
- Diet
- Fruit
- Lifestyle
- Perches in trees
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 78 mm
- Tail
- 42 mm
- Bill
- 19 mm
- Tarsus
- 21 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Africa: northwestern, eastern Madagascar
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Passerines Passeriformes
- Family
- Asities Philepittidae
- Genus
- Philepitta
Other birds in the genus Philepitta
Schlegel's AsityPhilepitta schlegeli
Common Sunbird-AsityNeodrepanis coruscans
Yellow-bellied Sunbird-AsityNeodrepanis hypoxantha
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from reference photos. ↗
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