The rusty-cheeked scimitar babbler (''Erythrogenys erythrogenys'') is a species of
bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...
in the family
Timaliidae native to South-East Asia.
Subspecies
''Erythrogenys erythrogenys'' has a number of recognized subspecies:
[
* ''E. e. erythrogenys'' (northwest Himalayas)
* ''E. e. imberbis''
* ''E. e. haringtoni''
* ''E. e. gravivox''
* ''E. e. macclellandi''
* ''E. e. ferrugilatus'' (central Himalayas from Nepal to Bhutan)
* ''E. e. imberbis'' (east Myanmar)
* ''E. e. celata'' (east Myanmar and northeast Thailand)
]
Description
The species is olive-brown above with rusty coluring on the sides of the face, head, thighs, and flanks. The belly is mostly white. Sexes are alike. The beak is long and decurved in a scimitar shape.
Distribution and habitat
The rusty-cheeked scimitar babbler is found from the Himalayas
The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...
to Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...
. It inhabits subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests (TSMF), also known as tropical moist forest, is a subtropical and tropical forest habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature.
Description
TSMF is generally found in large, discont ...
and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest
Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...
habitats at elevations up to 2600 m.
Ecology
The bird feeds mostly on the forest floor and in low canopy, forming small groups. Food items include insects, grubs and seeds. Calls consist of a mellow, fluty whistle, a two-noted "''CUE..PE...CUE..pe''" call followed by single note replay by mate, guttural alarm calls and a liquid contact note. The species is generally quite noisy.[
]
References
Further reading
* 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.
rusty-cheeked scimitar babbler
Birds of Pakistan
Birds of North India
Birds of Nepal
Birds of Bhutan
Birds of Northeast India
Birds of Myanmar
rusty-cheeked scimitar babbler
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
{{Timaliidae-stub