Description of First Basic Plumage of Three Muscicapid Species Found in the Southeastern Sub-Himalayan Foothills, with Notes on their Taxonomy and Ecology

—Many species in Southeast Asia are hardly known in many aspects (biology, ecology, distribution, plumage characteristics), especially in the southeastern sub-Himalayan Mountains in the border region of Myanmar, China, northeast India, and Tibet. During a September 2005 survey of Naung Mung, Putao District, Kachin State, Northern Myanmar, we obtained specimens of three species evidently in first basic plumage, for which this plumage type was new, hardly known, or significantly different from that seen in specimens in collections or descriptions in the literature. After thorough examination, we identified these specimens as immature members of the following muscicapid species: White-tailed Robin (Myiomela leucura), including both a light and darker plumage type; Large Blue Flycatcher (Cyornis magnirostris); and Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher (Ficedula strophiata). We discuss some taxonomic and biological implications of our findings.