Alternative names: Greater Scimitar-babbler; Long-billed Scimitar-babbler
- Erythrogenys hypoleucos
Pomatorhinus hypoleucos
Identification
26 - 28cm. A large Scimitar-babbler:
- Heavy, rather pale bill
- White throat and breast with dark grey flanks
- Darke grey face with chestnut or whitish postocular line
- Dark brown above
Sexes similar. Juveniles with shorter bill.
Similar species
The dark eye and the grey flanks distinguish this species from the similar Rusty-cheeked Scimitar-Babbler and Spot-breasted Scimitar-Babbler.
Distribution
Found from northeast India and eastern Bangladesh southeast to Burma, south China, Thailand, Indochina (Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia) and to peninsular Malaysia.
Common in some places in Indochina, rare and uncommon in the west of its range.
Taxonomy
This is a polytypic species[1] consisting of 5 subspecies.
Subspecies
- E. h. hypleucos:
- Northeast India (Assam) to Bangladesh and west Myanmar
- E. h. tickelli:
- E. h. brevirostris:
- Southern Indochina
- E. h. wrayi
- E. h. hainana
- Hainan (southern China)
Habitat
Broadleaf evergreen forest and mixed deciduous forest. Also bamboo, scrub-jungle or cane-jungle, reeds and elephant grass. Mostly below 1200m (up to 1550m), but in south Thailand and peninsular Malaysia occuring at 915m to 2135m.
Behaviour
Feeds on insects, larvae, small molluscs and small snails.
Usually seen in pairs, sometimes in small groups of 5 to 6 birds. Forages close to the ground in understorey and lower.
Breeding season from November to May. The nest is a large, semi-domed oval with a flimsy roof. It's made of bamboo or other leaves and placed on ground in tangles of cane, bamboo or scrub or tangle of vines, up to 3m above the ground. Lays 2 -5 eggs.
Resident species.
References
- 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
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2021. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2021. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Large Scimitar Babbler. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 27 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Large_Scimitar_Babbler
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.
