Species Spotlight

Species Spotlight: Taiwan Yuhina

November 28, 2025 by Kai Pflug No Comments

Shocking!

Fox News recently ran a feature on the breeding behaviour of the Taiwan Yuhina, complete with not one but four dramatic slogans:

  • “Avian Family Values Meltdown”
  • “The Feathered Morality Fail”
  • “The Nesting Values Emergency”
  • “The Great Bird Morals Collapse”

Given that Fox News hardly ever covers birds (too small, too foreign, not enough guns), this naturally caught our attention at 10,000 Birds. So we looked into it.

The source of these headlines was the HBW entry for the species, produced by Cornell University, naturally, one of those Marxist-lunatic-left-wing strongholds. But for once, let’s assume their reporting is mostly accurate.

Highlights from the Taiwan Yuhina’s shocking lifestyle, taken directly from the HBW:

  • Has a habit of communal nesting.
    (Deeply socialist. Extremely suspicious.)
  • Three or four pairs may lay in one nest and incubate eggs in turn.
    (Sounds like cooperative childcare. Next stop: universal healthcare.)
  • Pair socially monogamous.
    (Maintaining the façade for the neighbours)
  • 20% of offspring sired by males from other groups.
    (Outsourcing paternity.)
  • 20% sired by males within the group.
    (Friends with benefits, apparently.)
  • Inter-group cuckoldry in 6 of 12 nests.
    (Half the nests: cross-boundary infidelity.)
  • Intra-group cuckoldry in 8 of 12 nests.
    (Never leave your partner alone with the neighbours.)

And after all this? They sit around eating fruit, serene and unbothered, demonstrating that whether you’re a bird or a president, the truth is optional if appearances can be preserved.

Written by Kai Pflug
Kai has lived in Shanghai for more than 21 years. He only started birding after moving to China, so he is far more familiar with Chinese birds than the ones back in his native Germany. As a birder, he considers himself strictly average and tries to make up for it with photography, which he shares on a separate website. Alas, most of the photos are pretty average as well. He hopes that few clients of his consulting firm—focused on China’s chemical industry—ever find this blog, as it might raise questions about his professional priorities. Much of his time is spent either editing posts for 10,000 Birds or cleaning the litter boxes of his numerous indoor cats. He occasionally considers writing a piece comparing the two activities.