Abstract: Myophonus caeruleus is a medium-sized passerine bird of important ecological,scientific and social value,with unique cave-dwelling habits in Xiangxi Prefecture,Hunan Province.A combination of field investigation and portable automatic infrared video recording was employed to explore the main factors influencing the nest-site selection and characteristics of breeding behavior of this species.The major results are as follows:The main factors influencing the choice of nest sites of Myophonus caeruleus are spatial location and microclimatic environment.The nests are bowl-shaped,composed of four layers,and the dominant nest materials included mosses (50%),rhizomes (30%) and leaves (10%) of herbage and lianas.Both female and male birds participate in nesting,and the nesting behaviors primarily include nest-building (68.5%),nest-tidying (13.9%),warning (8.4%) and inspecting (5.7%).Incubation is mainly carried out by the female bird,and the behaviors during the incubation mainly include preening (38.5%),egg-turning (29.3%),nest-sitting (13.2%),inspecting (9.2%) and warning (5.4%).Both the male and female birds raise the chicks together,and the behaviors during the breeding chiefly covere nestling-feeding (38.9%),feces removal (15.8%),nestling-turning (11.6%),brooding (10.9%),preening  (9.3%),inspecting (5.3%),and warning (4.6%).

Key words: Myophonus caeruleus, nest-site selection, reproductive behavior, Xiangxi Prefecture