Pin-striped Tit-Babbler

Overview

The pin-striped tit-babbler (Mixornis gularis), also known as the yellow-breasted babbler, is a species of bird in the Old World babbler family Timaliidae found across South and Southeast Asia. It is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, though taxonomic revisions have recently split the Bornean and Javan populations into a separate species.

Identification

• Features a distinctive yellowish supercilium and rufous crown.
• The throat is yellowish with brown streaks.
• Produces a loud, repeated 'chonk-chonk-chonk' call that is reminiscent of a common tailorbird.

Habitat

The species is widely distributed across South and Southeast Asia, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. In India, populations occur in the northern Eastern Ghats and in disjunct southern locations such as the Masinagudi area in Mudumalai and near the Kabini reservoir.

Diet

The bird forages in small flocks by creeping and clambering through low vegetation.

Did you know?

The species is formally known as Mixornis gularis following a 2019 molecular phylogenetic study that moved it from the genus Macronus to Mixornis, a name combining Ancient Greek words meaning 'mixed' and 'bird'.