''Pomatorhinus '' is a genus of
scimitar babblers, jungle
birds with long downcurved bills. These are birds of tropical
Asia, with the greatest number of species occurring in hills of the
Himalayas.
These are medium-sized, floppy-tailed landbirds with soft plumage. They are typically long-tailed, dark brown above, and white or orange-brown below. Many have striking head patterns, with a broad black band through the eye, bordered with white above and below.
They have strong legs and are quite terrestrial. Like other babblers, these are noisy birds, and the characteristic bubbling calls are often the best indication that these birds are present.
As with other babbler species, they frequently occur in groups of up to a dozen, and the rainforest species like
Indian scimitar babbler
The Indian scimitar babbler (''Pomatorhinus horsfieldii'') is an Old World babbler. It is found in peninsular India in a range of forest habitats. They are most often detected by their distinctive calls which include an antiphonal duet by a pair ...
often occur in the
mixed feeding flocks typical of tropical Asian jungle.
Species
The genus contains 10 species:
The following cladogram shows the relationships within the genera according to a 2019 phylogeny by Tianlong Cai and colleagues:
References
*Collar, N. J. & Robson, C. 2007. Family Timaliidae (Babblers) pp. 70 – 291 in; del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. & Christie, D.A. eds. ''
Handbook of the Birds of the World
The ''Handbook of the Birds of the World'' (HBW) is a multi-volume series produced by the Spanish publishing house Lynx Edicions in partnership with BirdLife International. It is the first handbook to cover every known living species of bird. T ...
'', Vol. 12. Picathartes to Tits and Chickadees. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.
External links
*
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q735456
Bird genera
Taxa named by Thomas Horsfield