Alternative names: Red-winged Babbler; Red-winged Tree-babbler
- Cyanoderma erythropterum
Stachyris erythroptera
Identification
12.5 - 13.5cm. A rather small Cyanoderma-babbler:
- Bluish eyering
- Thin dark bill
- Nominate has face, throat, breast and flanks dirty grey, becoming paler on breast and flanks; other subspecies are darker grey and have a complete grey head
- Upperparts, wings and tail chestnut brown (also crown in nominate)
- Legs pale grey to grey-green
Sexes similar.
Superficially similar to White-breasted Babbler, but note absence of white on throat and breast and ranges don't overlap.
Distribution
From extreme southern Burma and Thailand to peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo.
Common in most of its range.
Taxonomy
5 subspecies are recognized:
- C. e. erythropterum from extreme southern Burma and south Thailand to peninsular Malaysia, Singapore and Natuna Island.
- C. e. pyrrhophaeum on Sumatra
- C. e. fulviventre on Banyak Island off Sumatra
- C. e. bicolor in northern Borneo
- C. e. rufum in southern Borneo
Has been placed in genus Macronous or in Stachyris.
Habitat
Primary evergreen forest and older secondary evergreen forest. Also in selectively logged forest, bamboo brakes, upland heath, peatswamp-forest or tree plantations. Up to 800m in Thailand, 1220m in Borneo.
Behaviour
Feeds on insects, takes also small fruits.
Usually in small groups, methodically foliage-gleaning in middle storey.
Breeding season from December to September in southeast Asia, March to July and October to November in Borneo, maybe multi-brooded and partly a social breeder. The nest is a dome with side entrance made of dead bamboo and other leaves and dry grasses. Lays 2 - 3 eggs. Brood parasitism by Asian Drongo-Cuckoo reported.
Resident species.
References
- Del Hoyo, J, A Elliott, and D Christie, eds. 2007. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 12: Picathartes to Tits and Chickadees. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8496553422
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2015. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2015, with updates to August 2015. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2023) Chestnut-winged Babbler. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 2 June 2023 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Chestnut-winged_Babbler
