Habitat
Subtropical and tropical lowland and montane moist forest, temperate forest and shrubland, lowland moist shrubland, high altitude shrubland, plantations.
Red-billed Leiothrix (Leiothrix lutea) [XC138743]
by from , India (call)
Red-billed Leiothrix (Leiothrix lutea) [XC110041]
by Dan Lane from , China (song)
Subspecies
Probably fairly close to Siva and Mesia. Form described as "Leiothrix astleyi", known only from a pair of live individuals shipped from southern China, is considered to represent a mutation of present species caused by long period in captivity. Birds from southern Assam hills (India) named as subspecies luteola, but inseparable from calipyga.
The following 6 subspecies are recognised:
kumaiensis Whistler, 1943 - North-western Himalayas from north-eastern Pakistan east to northern India (Uttaranchal Pradesh) India.
calipyga (Hodgson, 1837) - Nepal east to Bhutan, north-eastern Indian hill states, southern China (south-eastern Xizang), and extreme north-western Myanmar (south to northern Chin Hills).
yunnanensis Rothschild, 1921 - North-eastern Myanmar and southern China (western and north-western Yunnan).
lutea (Scopoli, 1786) - South-central and eastern China (southern Gansu and southern Shaanxi east to western Hubei, southern Anhui, northern Zhejiang and northern Fujian, south to central and southern Sichuan, Guizhou and northern Guangxi).
kwangtungensis Stresemann, 1923 - Southern and south-eastern China (south-eastern Yunnan east to central Guangxi, southern Hunan and Guangdong) and extreme northern Vietnam (northern Tonkin).
luteola Koelz, 1952 - Southern Assam to south-western Myanmar (Chin Hills and Arakan Yoma Mts.).
BirdLife International Species Factsheet