Alternative name: Chestnut-fronted Shrike-Babbler
- Pteruthius intermedius
Identification
11.5cm (4½ in). A small Shrike-Babbler:
- White eye-ring
- Broad white wing-bars (rufous-buff in female)
- Male with chestnut forehead bordered above by yellow and a dark chestnut throat
- Female is whitish below with yellowish vent and belly and diffuse chestnut on upper throat and forehead
Juveniles not described
Similar species
Black-eared Shrike-Babbler is very similar but has a blackish rear border behind the yellow ear-coverts.
Distribution
Found from northeast India east to south China (Yunnan, Guangxi, Hainan), Burma, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam.
Only one record in India (specimen for aenobarbulus), generally common in southeast Asia.
Taxonomy
Split from Chestnut-fronted Shrike-Babbler.
Like all species of this genus most probably not a babbler but belonging to the Vireos.
Subspecies
Two subspecies[1]:
- P. a. aenobarbulus in northeast India (Meghalaya)
- P. a. intermedius in Burma, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and southern China (Yunnan, Hainan and Guangxi)
Habitat
Moist montanes and lowland forests. Found at 700 - 2500 m.
Behaviour
Diet
Feeds on cockroaches, caterpillars and other insects, takes also fruit.
Breeding
Usually seen singly and in pairs, outside breeding season in small groups, often in mixed flocks. Movements sluggish and slow.
Breeding season January to April. The nest is a shallow cup, hidden with moss and spider webs and suspended from a high branch fork of tree. Lays 2 eggs.
Movement
Resident species.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- 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
- Rasmussen, PC and JC Anderton. 2005. Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8487334672
- Rheindt & Eaton 2009. Species limits in Pteruthius (Aves: Corvida) shrike-babblers: a comparison between the Biological and Phylogenetic Species Concepts. Zootaxa 2301: 29–54.
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Clicking Shrike-Babbler. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 24 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Clicking_Shrike-Babbler
