Ferruginous babbler

Trichastoma bicolor

Photo by James Chong (Oriental Bird Images)

Common name:
ferruginous babbler (en); zaragateiro-ruivo (pt); akalat ferrugineux (fr); tordina bicolor (es); weißwangen-maustimalie (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Timaliidae

Range:
This species is found in southern Thailand and extreme southern Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Borneo.

Size:
These birds are 16,5-18 cm long and weigh about 30 g.

Habitat:
This species is found in lowland tropical rainforests, particularly evergreen mixed dipterocarp forests, swamp forests, second growths and selectively logged forests, old plantations and locally in mangroves. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 900 m.

Diet:
They feed on ants and other insects.

Breeding:
The ferruginous babbler breeds in February-September. The nest is a small untidy cup made of dead bamboo and other leaves, placed on a plant up to 0,8 m above the ground, or in a depression in a bank. the female lays2 eggs. there is no information regarding the incubation and fledgling periods.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a large breeding range and is described as generally fairly common to common. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.