Collared Babbler
Gampsorhynchus torquatus
Strangely shrike-like babbler with a hook-tipped bill. Body is warm dirt-brown and head is white; some birds possess brown splotches or speckles on the crown. Birds in the northern part of the range have black collars of varying extent separating the white of the head from the brown of the body. Similar to White-hooded Babbler, but Collared’s white head is more sharply demarcated, ending promptly at the breast instead of extending down to the belly. Flocks give loud rattling calls as they move through thick undergrowth, particularly bamboo stands, in lowland and foothill forests.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Gampsorhynchus torquatus
- Authority
- Hume, 1874
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Timaliidae
- Genus
- Gampsorhynchus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
White-fronted Tit
Sittiparus semilarvatus
A small, uncommon bird of lowland and foothill forest canopy and edge. Entirely dark with an obvious white mark from the forehead down between the bill and eye. Males are entirely black and females have dark brown underparts. Varies regionally, with Mindanao birds having an additional white mark in the wing. Unmistakable. Voice includes a downslurred series of three fairly high-pitched downslurred notes, “piu-piu piu.” Also gives a rapid staccato trill.
Rufous-bellied Swallow
Cecropis badia
Brightly-colored swallow found on the Malay Peninsula. Dark iridescent blue above with rusty-orange underparts, rump, and face. Similar to migratory tytleri subspecies of Barn Swallow but lacks its dark blue collar and white tail patches. Like many other swallows, flies over a range of different habitats, from fields to forests; usually in hilly areas.
Wedge-billed Woodcreeper
Glyphorynchus spirurus
Very small woodcreeper of evergreen forest in humid tropical lowlands and foothills. Creeps up trunks, often in spirals, picking at the bark for food, then flies low to another tree before hitching upwards again. Forages on fairly large trunks as well as slender trees. Often travels with mixed-species feeding flocks. Note the short, wedge-shaped bill and pale buffy breast spotting.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.