Malia

Malia grata

Photo by Rob Hutchinson (Oriental Bird Images)

Common name:
malia (en); malia (pt); malia des Célèbes (fr); timalí malia (es); mooswaldtimalie (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Timaliidae

Range:
This species indemic to the island of Sulawesi, in Indonesia, being restricted to the mountain forests located inland.

Size:
These birds are 28-29 cm long.

Habitat:
The malia is only found in primary mountain rainforests, at altitudes of 900-2.400 m.

Diet:
They forage in small groups, often together with other species, searching for invertebrates, particularly beetles and grasshoppers, among rotten wood, dislodge moss and loose bark.

Breeding:
There is no available information on the reproduction of the malia.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a relatively large but restricted breeding range. Although the global population size has not been quantified, the malia is described as widespread and locally moderately common. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction and fragmentation, but it is not considered threatened at present.