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Old World BABBLERs

Order Passeriformes    Family Timaliidae

The Old World babblers are a large family, rather diverse in size and coloration. They are characterised by soft fluffy plumage. These are birds of tropical areas, with the greatest variety in southeast Asia. The timaliids are one of two unrelated groups of birds known as babblers, the other being the Australasian Babblers of the family Pomatostomidae (also known as pseudo-babblers). Morphological diversity is rather high; most species resemble "warblers", jays or thrushes.

Timaliids are small to medium birds, ranging in size from 9 cm to 36 cm. They have strong legs, and many are quite terrestrial. They typically have generalized bills, similar to those of a thrush or warbler. Most have predominantly brown plumage, with minimal difference between the sexes, but many more brightly coloured species also exist. This group is not strongly migratory, and most species have short rounded wings, and a weak flight. They live in lightly wooded or scrubland environments, ranging from swamp to near-desert. They are primarily insectivorous, although many will also take berries, and the larger species will even eat small lizards and other vertebrates.

Typical babblers live in communities of around a dozen birds, jointly defending a territory. Many even breed communally, with a dominant pair building a nest, and the remainder helping to defend and rear their young. Young males remain with the group, while females move away to find a new group, and thus avoid inbreeding. They make nests from twigs, and hide them in dense vegetation.


Genus Cyanoderma also Stachyridopsis

Babbler_Black-chinned   Cyanoderma pyrrhops also Stachyridopsis pyrrhopsFound: Indian Subcontinent
Image by: 1, 2) Dibyendu_Ash


Babbler,_Buff-chested   Cyanoderma ambiguum also Stachyridopsis ambiguaFound: Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam
Image by: 1) PksPks


Babbler_Crescent-chested   Cyanoderma melanothorax also Stachyris melanothorax Found: Indonesia
Image by: 1) Lip_kee 2) Mohit Kumar Ghatak


Babbler,_Chestnut-winged  Cyanoderma erythropterum  also Stachyris erythroptera Found: Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam
Image by: 1) Nigel_Voaden


Babbler,_Golden   Cyanoderma chrysaeum also Stachyridopsis chrysaeaFound: Asia
Image by: 1) Francesco Veronesi  2) Dibyendu_Ash  3) Nick Athanas - Myanmar


Babbler, Rufous-capped  also Red-headed Babbler  Cyanoderma ruficeps also Stachyridopsis ruficeps Found: Asia
Image by: 1, 3)  Hiyashi Haka  2) Alnus 4) Umeshsrinivasan


Babbler,_Rufous-fronted   Cyanoderma rufifrons also Stachyridopsis rufifrons Found: southeast Asia
The Rufous-fronted Babbler has brown uppperparts; rufous crown; gray supercilium; buff underparts.
Image by: 1) Vijay_Ismavel



Genus Dumetia - 1 species

Babbler,_Tawny-bellied   Dumetia hyperythra Found: Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka
The Tawny-bellied Babbler has dark brown upperparts; rufous-gray crown; faint white eye-ring; orange-buff underparts.
Image by: 1) Shantanu_Kuveskar  2) Nagesh_Kamath


Babbler,_Dark-fronted   Rhopocichla atriceps Found: Western Ghats of India, forests of Sri Lanka
The Dark-fronted Babbler has brown upperparts; variable black on head; white underparts.
Image by: 1) Thimindu_Goonatillake  2) Prajwalkm



Genus Mixornis also Macronus
The Tit-babblers

Babbler,_Bold-striped_Tit-  Macronus bornensis also Mixornis bornensis Found: Indonesia, Malasia, Philippines
The Bold-striped Tit-Babbler has brown upperparts; dark face; yellow eyes; whitish underparts with dark brown stipes on throat and upper-breast.
Image by: 1) Joseph_Smit  2) Peter_Ericsson - East Malasia 3) Martjan_Lammertink - Indonesia


Babbler_Brown_Tit-   Macronus striaticeps Found: Philippines
Image by: 1) employee of Philippine government


Babbler,_Fluffy-backed_Tit-   Macronus ptilosus Found: Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand
Image by: 1) Amar-Singh  2) James_Eaton


Babbler,_Gray-cheeked_Tit-  Macronus flavicollis also Mixornis flavicollisFound: Indonesia
Image by: 1) j_mittermeier - Java


Babbler,_Gray-faced_Tit-   Macronus kelleyi Found: Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam
Image by: 1) Janos_Olah


Babbler,_Pin-Striped_Tit-  Macronus gularis  also Mixornis gularis Found: south and southeast Asia
The Pin-striped Tit-Babbler has rufous crown; yellowish supercilium; faint eye-line; yellowish throat and breast with brown streaks.
Image by: 1) JJ Harrison in Thailand  2, 3) Lip_kee - Indonesia



Genus Megapomatorhinus
These large Scimitar-Babblers are also placed in Pomatorhinus

Babbler,_Black-necklaced_Scimitar-   Megapomatorhinus erythrocnemis also Pomatorhinus erythrocnemis Found: Taiwan
Image by: 1) Midas_Sun


Babbler,_Black-streaked_Scimitar-   Megapomatorhinus gravivox Found: China, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam
Image by: 1) Ron_Knight


Babbler,_Gray-sided_Scimitar-   Megapomatorhinus swinhoei  also   Pomatorhinus swinhoeiFound: China
Image by: 1) Lin Jiansheng


Babbler,_Large_Scimitar-   Megapomatorhinus hypoleucos Found: Asia
Image by: 1, 3) Francesco_Veronesi - Thailand  2) Michael_Gillam - Thailand


Babbler,_Rusty-cheeked_Scimitar-   Megapomatorhinus erythrogenysalso Pomatorhinus erythrogenys Found: southeast Asia
The Rusty-cheeked Scimitar-Babbler has olive-brown upperparts; rusty face, head, flanks; white throat, belly.
Image by: 1) Dibyendu_Ash  2) shrikant rao  3) Koshy_Koshy - India


Babbler,_Spot-breasted_Scimitar- Megapomatorhinus mcclellandi also Pomatorhinus mcclellandi Found: Eastern Himalaya and western Myanmar
Image by: 1) Pkspks



Genus Pomatorhinus

Babbler, Chestnut-backed Scimitar-  Pomatorhinus montanus  Found: Southeast Asia
Image by: 1, 2) Dick Daniels - San Diego Zoo


Babbler,_Coral-billed_Scimitar-  Pomatorhinus ferruginosus Found: Bhutan, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam
Image by: 1) Umeshsrinivasan  2) Ron_Knight


Babbler,_Red-billed_Scimitar-  Pomatorhinus ochraceiceps Found: China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam.
Image by: 1) John_Gerrard_Keulemans  2) Amarjyoti_Saikia


Babbler,_Slender-billed_Scimitar-   Pomatorhinus superciliaris Found: angladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Vietnam
Image by: 1) Umeshsrinivasan - India  2, 3) Dibyendu_Ash


Babbler,_Sri_Lanka_Scimitar-   Pomatorhinus melanurus Found: Sri Lanka
Image by: 1) David_Cook  2) Thimindu_Goonatillake


Babbler, Streak-breasted Scimitar-  Pomatorhinus ruficollis  Found: Asia 
Image by: 1, 2) Afi Chen


Babbler, Taiwan Scimitar-   Pomatorhinus musicus   Found: Taiwan
The Taiwan Scimitar Babbler is considered by some to be a subspecies of the Streak-breasted Scimitar-babbler
Image by: Hiyashi Haka  2) Francesco_Veronesi  3) Lin_Sun_Fong


Babbler, White-browed Scimitar-  Pomatorhinus schisticeps Found: Asia
Image by: JJ Harrison - Thailand  2) Vijay_Ismavel



Genus Spelaeornis

Babbler,_Bar-winged_Wren-   Spelaeornis troglodytoides Found: Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar
Image by: 1) Francesco_Veronesi


Babbler,_Chin_Hills_Wren-   Spelaeornis oatesi Found: India, Myanmar
Several former subspecies of the Long-tailed Wren-Babbler have now been recognized as good species. They are: Pale-throated Wren-Babbler (S. kinnearii), Chin Hills Wren-Babbler (S. oatesi) and Gray-bellied Wren-Babblerr (S. reptatus). Together, the group was collectively known as the Long-tailed Wren-Babbler.
Image by: 1) Ramki_Sreenivasan


Babbler_Gray-bellied_Wren-   Spelaeornis reptatus Found: China, Myanmar, Thaioland
Several former subspecies of the Long-tailed Wren-Babbler have now been recognized as good species. They are: Pale-throated Wren-Babbler (S. kinnearii), Chin Hills Wren-Babbler (S. oatesi) and Gray-bellied Wren-Babblerr (S. reptatus). Together, the group was collectively known as the Long-tailed Wren-Babbler.
Image by: 1) David_Showler


Babbler,_Long-tailed_Wren-   Spelaeornis chocolatinus Found: Nagaland and Manipur of India
Several former subspecies of the Long-tailed Wren-Babbler have now been recognized as good species. They are: Pale-throated Wren-Babbler (S. kinnearii), Chin Hills Wren-Babbler (S. oatesi) and Gray-bellied Wren-Babblerr (S. reptatus). Together, the group was collectively known as the Long-tailed Wren-Babbler.
Image by: 1) Jainy_Kuriakose  Subhajit Chaudhuri


Babbler,_Pale-throated_Wren-   Spelaeornis kinneari Found: Vietnam
Several former subspecies of the Long-tailed Wren-Babbler have now been recognized as good species. They are: Pale-throated Wren-Babbler (S. kinnearii), Chin Hills Wren-Babbler (S. oatesi) and Gray-bellied Wren-Babblerr (S. reptatus). Together, the group was collectively known as the Long-tailed Wren-Babbler.
Image by: 1) Florian_Klingel


Babbler,_Rufous-throated_Wren-   Spelaeornis caudatus Found: Bhutan, India, Nepal
Image by: 1) Umeshsrinivasan  2) Mike_Price


Babbler,_Rusty-thoated_Wren-   Spelaeornis badeigularis Found: India
Image by: 1) Mike_Prince


Babbler,_Tawny-breasted_Wren-   Spelaeornis longicaudatus Found: India
Image by: 1) Rejaul_karim.rk



Genus Sphenocichla - 1 species

Babbler,_Chevron-breasted   Sphenocichla roberti Found: northeast India
Image by: 1) Porag Jyoti Phukan



Genus Stachyris

Babbler,_Blackish-breasted   Stachyris humei Found: southeast Asia
Image by: 1)  Umeshsrinivasan - India


Babbler,_Black-throated   Stachyris nigricollis Found: Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand
Image by: 1) Francesco_Veronesi - Thailand


Babbler,_Chestnut-rumped   Stachyris maculata Found: Borneo, Sumatra, Thailand
Image by: 1) Nicolas_LeJeune  2) Mike_Prince - Borneo  3) Amar-Singh - Borneo


Babbler,_Gray-headed   Stachyris poliocephala Found: Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand
Image by: 1) Peter_Ericsson


Babbler,_Gray-throated   Stachyris nigriceps Found: southeast Asai, Indonesai, Malaysia
Image by: 1) Dibyendu_Ash - India    2) Vijay_Ismavel - India  3) Hiyashi_Haka - Malaysia


Babbler,_Nonggang  Stachyris nonggangensis Found: China
The Nonggang Babbler has a sooty head; white crescent behind ear; white throat patch; black bill; pale eye.
Image by: 1) John & Jemi Holmes - China


Babbler,_Snowy-throated   Stachyris oglei Found: northeast India
Image by: 1) Rofikul_Islam - India


Babbler,_Sooty Stachyris herberti Found: Laos, Vietnam
Image by: 1) Tony_Sawbridge - Vietnam


Babbler,_Spot-necked  Stachyris strialata Found: China, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam
Image by: 1) Jainy Kuriakose - Thailand


Babbler,_White-bibbed   Stachyris thoracica Found: Bali and java
Image by: 1) Nicolas_LeJeune  2) BIan Merrill - Java


Babbler,_White-breasted   Stachyris grammiceps Found: Java (Indonesia)
Image by: 1) Nicolas_LeJeune  2) ános Oláh


Babbler,_White-necked   Stachyris leucotis  Found: Borneo, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand
Image by: 1) jmittermeier



Genus Timalia - 1 species

Babbler,_Chestnut-capped   Timalia pileata Found: Asia
Image by: 1) Koshy_Koshy - India  2) Vijay_Ismavel - India  3) Dibyendu_Ash - India




Order Passeriformes    Family Elachuridae - 1 genus

Genus Elachura - 1 species
This species has been previously included with the wren-babblers of genus Spelaeornis.

Elachura,_Spotted  also  Spotted Wren-babbler   Elachura formosa  Found: southeast Asia
The Spotted Elachura has mainly brown plumages; rufous wings, tail; spots all over.
Image by: 1) John_Gerrard_Keulemans  2) Firoz Hussain - India  3) Girl_Scientist





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