BABBLER 16/23 - Buff-breasted Babbler

Latest Catch June2016 Jelai Frasers Hill

Buff-breasted Babbler

It is listed as a common babbler in Peninsula. After knowing its call I only realised it is indeed a common babbler as I can hear it calling along the stretch before the Bkt Rengit - Deerland (and along the green dense forest fringes there onwards) whenever I drive pass thinking what is calling. This is in the early part of the morning.

The Buff-breasted Babbler (Trichastoma tickelli) is a species of bird in the Timaliidae family. Small about 14cm or 5.5inches in length. The matured bird will have fine black streak buff breast. My shots were a bit soft due to poor lighting. The Juve was without a tail and I earlier thought it was a Short-tailed Bab. It call out in response to my Large Wren playback. The Chestnut-winged also was calling nearby. It stayed mainly at the lower storey of the jungle. It's diet is mainly insects and grubs that they find on ground and low shrubs' branches.

It is found in Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests (Krau, Panti) and moist montane forests upto 1,500m (like Fraser's). They usually start breeding and nesting in the months of Feb-Jul. their nest is cuplike and often on the ground under foliage or branches just 1.5 ft from the ground. Should be easy to find..................?

Beautiful capture of the buff-breasted in Bukit Tinggi  November 2015.