Brachypteryx montana
Silhouette: Martin Bulla, based on François Desbordes' illustration · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The Javan shortwing (Brachypteryx montana) (formerly the white-browed shortwing) is a species of bird that is placed in the Old World flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It is endemic to the island of Java where it favours montane forests.
The Javan shortwing was formally described in 1821 by the America naturalist Thomas Horsfield. He coined the present binomial name Brachypteryx montana. This species was formerly named the white-browed shortwing and included many subspecies. It was split into five separate species based on the deep genetic difference between the populations coupled with the significant differences in plumage and vocalization. The new species are the Philippine shortwing (Brachypteryx poliogyna), the Bornean shortwing (Brachypteryx erythrogyna), the Sumatran shortwing (Brachypteryx saturata) and the Flores shortwing (Brachypteryx floris). The white-browed shortwing with its much reduced range was renamed the Javan shortwing. The species is now monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.
The Javan shortwing is a shy skulker, preferring to be on or near the ground, in the depths of dark vegetation, where it feeds on small insects, larvae, berries... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Doi Inthanon National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 2 | Namdapha National Park | 🇮🇳 India |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a White-browed Shortwing sighting in Doi Inthanon National Park on a given day, based on 1,189 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 21st most-seen of the 367 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 70% of wildlife watchers report a White-browed Shortwing in Doi Inthanon National Park on a given day, against about 20% in November, the lowest month. That is one of Doi Inthanon National Park's wettest months, with about 330 mm of rain against 20 mm in February.
Between 3 and 6 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White-browed Shortwing sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate White-browed Shortwing sightings, Doi Inthanon National Park has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Namdapha National Park (India, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the White-browed Shortwing is recorded against all the birds logged in Doi Inthanon National Park (1,189 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
