About Heterophasia picaoides (Hodgson, 1839)
Nomenclature and Taxonomic Placement
The long-tailed sibia, with the scientific name Heterophasia picaoides, is a species in the family Leiothrichidae native to Southeast Asia. This species was originally classified within the broad family Timaliidae.
Family Reclassification Context
When Timaliidae is split into smaller families, the long-tailed sibia is placed with laughingthrushes in Leiothrichidae.
Genus Taxonomic Treatment
Some taxonomic treatments consider Heterophasia to be a monotypic genus containing only this species, and move all other former Heterophasia species into the genus Malacias.
Geographic Range
The long-tailed sibia ranges across an area extending from the Himalayas through Southeast Asia to Sumatra.
Habitat Preferences
It inhabits a variety of forested and edge environments, including evergreen forest, oak and pine forests, secondary growth, scrubland containing large trees, and forest edge habitats.
