Includes: Himalayan Shrike-Babbler, Blyth's Shrike-Babbler, Dalat Shrike-Babbler
Alternative names: Red-winged Shrike-Babbler; Black-crowned Shrike-Babbler; Greater Shrike-Babbler; Ripley's Shrike-Babbler, Vietnamese Shrike-Babbler
- Pteruthius aeralatus
Identification
14cm. A medium-sized Shrike-Babbler:
Male
- Broad white supercilium on black cap (mostly behind the eye)
- Grey mantle
- Black wings and tail
- Wing-panel (tertials) varies from chestnut to orange or yellow
- Whitish (greyish in ricketti) underparts
- Vinous-washed vent
Female
- Greyish cap with little or missing supercilium
- Greyish-olive upperparts
- Mostly green-gold wings and tail
Variation
The subspecies differ in colors of wing panel of males, in color of underside, and to some extent in vocalizations.
Distribution
Found from northeast Pakistan east along the Himalayas to India, Nepal, Bhutan, Burma and South China to Indochina, Thailand, peninsular Malaysia, Borneo, and Sumatra.
Commonest of all Shrike-Babblers.
Taxonomy
This species was formerly included in Pied Shrike-Babbler. The subspecies included here were formerly considered three full species: Himalayan Shrike-Babbler (ripleyi), Dalat Shrike-Babbler (annamensis), and Blyth's Shrike-Babbler (aeralatus with subspecies validirostris, robinsoni, cameranoi, schauenseei and ricketti). The current treatment is based on less convincing genetic differences being less convincing and doubt being raised about former reports of vocal differences. A more thorough analysis might make future splitting viable.
Like all species of this genus, currently considered as belonging to the "Vireos, Shrike-Babblers, and Erpornis".
Subspecies
Eight subspecies are recognized[1]:
- P. a. ripleyi in Pakistan along the Himalayas to western Nepal
- P. a. validirostris in the Himalayas (northern Pakistan to southern China, Assam and northwest Myanmar)
- P. a. ricketti northeast Myanmar to southern China (including Hainan), northern Thailand and northern Vietnam
- P. a. aeralatus Mountains of eastern Myanmar to northwest Thailand and (?) western Cambodia
- P. a. schauenseei in mountains of southern Thailand and southern Myanmar to Isthmus of Kra
- P. a. cameranoi from highlands of peninsular Malaysia (southern Perak to southern Selangor) and western Sumatra
- P. a. robinsoni in highlands of northern Borneo
- P. a. annamensis in southern Vietnam (Langbian Plateau)
The subspecies lingshuiensis from Hainan is included in ricketti. Birds in peninsular Malaysia has been suggested as better treated as intermediate between cameranoi and schauenseei.
Habitat
Several types of forests, both broad leaf and coneferous, and breeding in mid elevation foothill areas. Found at 900 - 2700m, locally lower and especially in winter.
Behaviour
Feeds on insects but takes also berries and seeds.
Usually seen singly, in pairs or small groups of 6 - 15 birds, often in mixed flocks with other species. Forages slowly in higher canopy. Not shy and aggressive towards other birds.
Breeding season from April to June in India, Burma and China, January to April in Thailand. The nest is a loose cradle or shallow cup made of rootlest, fibres, tendrils and some twigs. It's placed 4 to 16m above the ground in a tree fork. Lays 2 - 5 eggs.
Resident species with some altitudinal movements in the Himalayas reported.
References
Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2022. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2022. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Gill, F, D Donsker, and P Rasmussen (Eds). 2023. IOC World Bird List (v 13.2). Doi 10.14344/IOC.ML.13.2. http://www.worldbirdnames.org/
- 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. (2025) White-browed Shrike-Babbler. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 3 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/White-browed_Shrike-Babbler
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
