Babblers
INDO-MALAYAN Tropical & Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forest

The various related but very different babblers, including Scimitar Babblers, Tit-Babblers, Ground Babbler and Laughing Thrush. Many of the species are also found in higher altitude temperate forests.

Family Timaliidae: Babblers, Tit-Babblers, Scimitar-Babblers

(Jigme Dorji National Park, Bhutan)

Pomatorhinus erythrogenys, 'Rusty-cheeked Scimitar Babbler'.

(Bhutan)

Cyanoderma ruficeps, 'Rufous-capped Babbler'.  Distributed in mountain forest in south east Asia, from Himalayas to China.

Family Pellorneidae: Alcippe Fulvettas, Ground Babblers

(Doi Inthanon National Park, Thailand)

Alcippe morrisonia, 'Grey-cheeked Fulvetta'. Bounces cheekily around the rainforest understory. Found in the montane and cooler rainforest of northern south-east Asia into China. 

(Kaeng Krachan, Thailand)

Pellorneum ruficeps, 'Puff-throated/Spotted Babbler'.

Family Leiothrichidae, 'Laughing-thrushes'

A family with a changing taxonomic history. The group is most diverse in tropical Asia. It includes several groups of birds that seem quite distinct from each other. 

(I have put the following in the order of Cibois, A.; Gelang, M.; Alström, P.; Pasquet, E.; Fjeldså, J.; Ericson, P.G.P.; Olsson, U. (2018). "Comprehensive phylogeny of the laughingthrushes and allies (Aves, Leiothrichidae) and a proposal for a revised taxonomy". Zoologica Scripta. 47 (4): 428–440.))

(Jigme Dorji National Park, Bhutan)

Grammatoptila striatus'Striated Laughing Thrush'.

(Bhutan)

Cutia nipalensis, 'Himalayan Cutia'.. Found in hill forest from Himalayas into the south-east Asian mainland.

(Doi Inthanon National Park, Thailand)

Trochalopteron melanostigma, 'Silver-eared Laughingthrush'. Split from Chestnut-crowned. Found on south-east Asian mainland.

(Doi Inthanon National Park, Thailand)

Actinodura strigula, 'Bar-thoated/Chest-nut Tailed Minia/Siva'. Found in montane forest from India through south-east Asia. 

(Doi Inthanon National Park, Thailand)

Heterophasia melanoleuca, 'Dark-backed Sibia'. Found in montane forest on south-east Asian mainland into China. 

Rufous Sibia (image by Damon Ramsey)(Lamperi Gardens, Bhutan)

Heterophasia capistrata, 'Rufous Sibia'. Attractive bird. Found in mountain forest around the Himalayas.

(Kithugala, Sri Lanka)

Argya rufescens, 'Orange-billed Babbler', 'Sri Lankan Babbler'.  Endemic to Sri Lanka. They are often seen in naughty gangs in the village on the edge of the rainforest.

(Baan Maka Lodge, Thailand)

Garrulax monileger, 'Lesser Necklaced Laughing Thrush'.

(Kinabalu National Park, Malaysia)

Pterorhinus treacheri, 'Chestnut-hooded Laughing Thrush'.

For the page on the Asian tropical rainforest

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