Alternative names: Blyth's Babbler; Blyth's Jungle Babbler: Mangrove Babbler; White-chested Jungle-Babbler
- Pellorneum rostratum
Trichastoma rostratum
Identification
15cm. A smallish, nondescript babbler:
- Crown and upperparts brown
- Upperwing and tail brown with dull rufous-chestnut fringes
- Buffy brown face
- Underparts whitish with soft grey breast side and flanks
- Rather long narrow hook-tipped bill
- Shortish tail
Sexes similar, juveniles similar to adults.
Distribution
Found locally from extreme south Burma and Thailand to peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra and Borneo.
Rare in Singapore but common in other parts of its range.
Taxonomy
This is a polytypic species[1] consisting of 2 subspecies.
Subspecies
- P. r. rostratum
- Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Belitung Island, Riau and Lingga archipelagos
- P. r. macropterum
- Borneo and Banggi Island
Habitat
Moist lowland forests and mangrove forests. Usually near water (coast or streams). Up to 200m.
Behaviour
Feeds on grubs and insects.
Usually seen in pairs, foraging on ground by hopping around on rocks, truncks and branches near the water edge.
Breeding season from March to June in southeast Asia. The nest is a loose deep cup made of dead leaves. It's placed 0.4 to 1.2m above the ground hidden in small rattan or in the base of a ground palm. Lays 2 eggs.
Resident species.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2021. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2021. Downloaded from https://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
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) White-chested Babbler. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 7 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/White-chested_Babbler
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.
