Palawan Babbler
Malacopteron palawanense
A medium-sized bird of lowland forest tangles and bamboo on Palawan and Balabac. Medium-brown above with more rufous on the tail, shoulder, and forecrown. Has a white throat, a white belly, and white under the base of the tail, with a pale brown chest and sides. Note the gray cheek, the pale eye, and the hook-tipped bill. Somewhat similar to Pin-striped Tit-Babbler, but larger, with whitish rather than yellowish underparts. Song is a short varied sequence of whistled notes, sounding rather tuneless. Also gives a series of forceful downslurred “piu!” notes varying in pitch and volume.
Identification
A medium-sized bird of lowland forest tangles and bamboo on Palawan and Balabac. Medium-brown above with more rufous on the tail, shoulder, and forecrown. Has a white throat, a white belly, and white under the base of the tail, with a pale brown chest and sides. Note the gray cheek, the pale eye, and the hook-tipped bill. Somewhat similar to Pin-striped Tit-Babbler, but larger, with whitish rather than yellowish underparts. Song is a short varied sequence of whistled notes, sounding rather tuneless. Also gives a series of forceful downslurred “piu!” notes varying in pitch and volume.
Taxonomy
Genus: Malacopteron; Family: Pellorneidae; Order: Passeriformes.
- Scientific name
- Malacopteron palawanense
- Authority
- Büttikofer, 1895
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Pellorneidae
- Genus
- Malacopteron
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
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