Black-headed Sibia (Heterophasia desgodinsi) [XC175605]
by Frank Lambert from Trail to Mt Bidoup peak, Dalat, Vietnam (song)
Black-headed Sibia (Heterophasia desgodinsi) [XC26507]
by Frank Lambert from Mount Lang Bian, Vietnam (song)
Subspecies
Heterophasia melanoleuca (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993) has been split into Black-backed Sibia (Heterophasia melanoleuca) and Black-eared Sibia (Heterophasia desgodinsi) following Collar (2006).
Until recently treated as conspecific with Black-backed Sibia (Heterophasia melanoleuca). Birds from north-western Yunnan (particularly Lijiang), in southern China, described as a further subspecies, tecta, supposedly with more brown on upperparts, but this feature is not constant.
The following 5 subspecies are recognised:
desgodinsi (Oustalet, 1877) - Northern Myanmar and south-central and south-eastern China (Yunnan, central and southern Sichuan, western and northern Guizhou, north-western Hunan, western Guangxi).