Variable Limestone Babbler - BirdForum Opus

Gypsophila crispifrons

Napothera crispifrons; Turdinus crispifrons

Identification

18–20·5 cm (7-8 in). A rather long-billed and long-tailed medium-sized babbler:

• Greyish-tinged dark brown crown to back with black scaling
• Greyish dark brown fluffy rump
• Dark brown upperwing and tail
• Greyish face with darker ear-coverts
• Whitish chin to belly with broad grey-brown streaks especially on breast and belly
• Grey-brown flanks, thighs and vent
  

Sexes similar. Juveniles undescribed.

Variations

• calcicola like annamensis but with rufous underparts (not greyish)
• Locally in Burma a white-faced and a white-throated morph occurs

Distribution

Southeast Myanmar and northwest and west Thailand

Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species^[1].

One of three species split from what used to be Limestone Wren-Babbler.

Has been placed in the genus Turdinus or in Napothera.

Habitat

Evergreen and mixed decidous forest and scrub in limestone hill country (with boulders and steep crags). Up to 2135m in Burma, below 915m in China and Thailand, 300 - 400m in Vietnam.

Behaviour

Diet

Feeds on insects and seeds.
Usually seen in pairs or small groups of up to 6 birds. Moves around in rocks and tangled vegetation. Can be secretive.

Breeding

Breeding season from August to September. The nest is a roofed cup or dome made of dried twigs, roots and other material. It's placed in a rock crevice. Lays 2 - 5 eggs.

Movements

Resident species.

References

1. 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/
2. 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
3. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved August 2017)
4. Birdforum thread with ID information on juvenile birds, and similar species

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Variable Limestone Babbler. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 3 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Variable_Limestone_Babbler

External Links

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