Taiwan bush robin

The Taiwan bush robin (Tarsiger formosanus) is a small passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae that is endemic to Taiwan. It was formerly considered as a subspecies of the white-browed bush robin (Tarsiger indicus).

Taiwan bush robin
Conservation status
Not evaluated (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Muscicapidae
Genus:	Tarsiger
Species:	T. formosanus
Binomial name
Tarsiger formosanus Hartert, EJO, 1910

Taxonomy

The Taiwan bush robin was formally described in 1910 by the German ornithologist Ernst Hartert based on specimens collected on behalf of Alan Owston on the mountains of central Taiwan. Hartert considered the specimens to represent a subspecies of the white-browed bush robin (Tarsiger indicus) and coined the trinomial name Tarsiger indicus formosanus.^[1][2] Formosa is an alternative name for Taiwan.^[3] The Taiwan bush robin is now considered as a separate species based on a phylogenetic analysis published in 2022 as well as differences in plumage and vocalizations.^[4][5] The species is monotypic: no other subspecies are recognised.^[5]