White-browed Shrike-Babbler

Pteruthius aeralatus

A small, stout bird with a large head, usually found at mid-level in forests. Male is smartly attired: clean white below and black above with a gray back, a white eyebrow, and two bright, flame-like orange stripes towards the wingtips. Females have the same general patterning, but are much more faded, replacing black with gray and orange with yellow-green. Often joins mixed flocks in foothill and montane forests, where it can be fairly common. Song is a forceful series with slight breaks every second or third note: “dyudyu-dyu-dyudyu!”

Identification

The white-browed shrike-babbler is sexually dimorphic. There are many variations between the populations and some are more distinctive than others but they may not be easy to diagnose in the field. In general appearance it is very similar to the Himalayan shrike-babbler but all subspecies with the exception of validirostris have the tertials of males partly coloured rufous and partly fulvous.<p>The common name commemorates Edward Blyth (1810–1873), who published the description and notes based on Samuel Tickell's specimen. It was earlier called Tickell's shrike-Tit.

Taxonomy

The species was described by Edward Blyth who credited the name to collector Captain Samuel Tickell. This and several other species were later lumped together as subspecies of Pteruthius flaviscapis. In 2008, a molecular phylogenetic study resulted in the separation of species within the flaviscapis group with a large number split by application of the phylogenetic species concept and these were reorganized with a smaller number of species resulting in the following subspecies being included within white-browed shrike-babbler.

Scientific name
Pteruthius aeralatus
Authority
Blyth, 1855
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Vireonidae
Genus
Pteruthius

Range and habitat

Migration
Vertical migration

Behavior

Migration pattern: Vertical migration.

Conservation

Population trend: declining.

Population trend
declining

Photos

Distribution

Bird Calls

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