Golden Babbler - BirdForum Opus

Alternative name: Golden-headed Babbler

Photo by Ayuwat J
Doi Inthanon, Chiangmai, Thailand

Cyanoderma chrysaea

Stachyris chrysaea; Stachyridopsis chrysaeum

Identification

10 - 12cm. A distinctive, small babbler:

Bright yellow crown and underparts
Greenish-olive upperparts and flanks
Black lores (some subspecies with dark to blackish ear-coverts)
Black streaks on crown
Dark crimson eye

Photo by jasnjohn
Fraser's Hill, Malaysia, 2006

Sexes similar. Juveniles are pale rufous overall and have no streaks on crown.

Distribution

Found from central Nepal east along the Himalayas to Bhutan, northeast India, adjacent Tibet and China (Yunnan to Guangxi) to Burma, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra (Indonesia).
Common in part of its range.

Taxonomy

Formerly placed in the genus Stachyris or in Stachyridopsis.

Subspecies

There are 6 subspecies^[1]:

C. c. chrysaeum:

Nepal to Sikkim, Assam, Bhutan, south-western China and northern Myanmar

C. c. binghami:

South-eastern Assam to south-western Myanmar (Chin Hills and Arakan Yoma Mts.)

C. c. auratum:

Southern Myanmar (southern Shan State) to extreme northern Thailand and northern Indochina

C. c. assimile:

Central Myanmar (west of the Salween River) to north-western Thailand

C. c. chrysops:

Hills of Malay Peninsula

C. c. frigidum:

Highlands of western Sumatra

Habitat

Broadleaf evergreen forest, bamboo stand and dense bushes. Also found in deserted cultivation, clearings and secondary forest. Found at 300 - 2600m in the Indian Subcontinet, 450 - 2600m in southeast Asia and 680 - 3000m in Sumatra.

Behaviour

Outside breeding season found in groups with other species (like Grey-throated Babbler). Forages in lower to middle storeys.

Diet

Feeds on insects, takes sometimes also berries.

Breeding

Breeding season from January to July. The nest is a dome or ball with an entrance near the top. It's made of dry bamboo leaves and pine needles and placed on ground, in a bamboo clump or close to the ground in a bush. Lays 3 - 4 eggs.

Movements

Resident species with some seasonal wandering.

References

Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2015. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2015, with updates to August 2015. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
Del Hoyo, J, A Elliott, and D Christie, eds. 2007. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 12: Picathartes to Tits and Chickadees. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8496553422
Rasmussen, PC and JC Anderton. 2005. Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8487334672

List of references

Recommended Citation

BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Golden Babbler. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 27 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Golden_Babbler

External Links

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