Alternative name: Rufous-bellied Shrike-Babbler
- Pteruthius rufiventer
Identification
18.5 - 20cm. A large Shrike-Babbler:
Male
- Rufous-chestnut upperparts with black cap, wing and tail
- Grey throat and breast
- Yellowish patch on side of breast
- Pinkish-rufous belly and vent
- Rufous-chestnut rump
Female
- Larger than male
- Bright olive-green mantle with diffuse dark streaks
- Olive wings and tail
- Grey sides of head
- Blackish cheek with grey streaks
- Black crown
Juveniles are similar to females but they have a dull grey crown.
Distribution
Found from central Nepal east along the Himalayas to Bhutan, northeast India, south China (Yunnan), west and northeast Burma and north Vietnam.
Scarce in most of its range.
Taxonomy
Habitat
Broadleaf evergreen forest, oak and oak-rhododendron, sometimes secondary growth and bamboo. In India at 2135 - 2500 m, occasionally higher up. In Burma above 2530 m in summer.
Behaviour
Resident species with some possible altitudinal movements.
Diet
Feeds on insects and caterpillars.
Usually seen singly, in pairs or small groups, sometimes toether with other babblers in mixed flocks. Forages slowly quite high up in trees but sometimes also low in undergrowth.
Breeding
Breeding season in Bhutan April. No other information.
References
- Clements, JF. 2011. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to August 2011. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/downloadable-clements-checklist
- 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. (2021) Black-headed Shrike-Babbler. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 13 May 2021 from https://www.birdforum.net/wiki/Black-headed_Shrike-Babbler
