| Pomatorhinus | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Taiwan scimitar babbler (Pomatorhinus musicus) | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Timaliidae |
| Genus: | Pomatorhinus Horsfield, 1821 |
| Type species | |
| Pomatorhinus montanus[1] Horsfield, 1821 | |
| Species | |
See text | |
Pomatorhinus is a genus ofscimitar babblers, junglebirds with long downcurved bills. These are birds of tropicalAsia, with the greatest number of species occurring in hills of theHimalayas.
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 theIndian scimitar babbler often occur in themixed feeding flocks typical of tropical Asian jungle.
The genusPomatorhinus was introduced in 1821 by the American naturalistThomas Horsfield to accommodate a single species,Pomatorhinus montanus Horsfield, theJavan scimitar babbler.[2] This species is thetype species of the genus.[3] The genus name combines theAncient Greek πωμα/pōma, πωματος/pōmatos meaning "lid" or "cover" with ῥις/rhis, ῥινος/rhinos meaning "nostrils".[4]
The genus contains 11 species.[5] Thecladogram below showing the relationships within the genus is based on a 2019molecular phylogenetic study by Tianlong Cai and coworkers:[6]
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| Image | Common name | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
.JPG) | Indian scimitar babbler | Pomatorhinus horsfieldii | Peninsular India |
.jpg) | Sri Lanka scimitar babbler | Pomatorhinus melanurus | Sri Lanka |
 | Sunda scimitar babbler | Pomatorhinus bornensis | Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. |
 | White-browed scimitar babbler | Pomatorhinus schisticeps | Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, and Vietnam. |
 | Javan scimitar babbler | Pomatorhinus montanus | Indonesia |
 | Streak-breasted scimitar babbler | Pomatorhinus ruficollis | Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, and Vietnam. |
| Taiwan scimitar babbler | Pomatorhinus musicus | Taiwan |
.jpg) | Red-billed scimitar babbler | Pomatorhinus ochraceiceps | Northeast India, Southeast Asia and adjacent parts of southern China. |
.jpg) | Black-crowned scimitar babbler | Pomatorhinus ferruginosus | Bhutan, India, Nepal, China. |
.jpg) | Brown-crowned scimitar babbler | Pomatorhinus phayrei | Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, China. |
 | Slender-billed scimitar babbler | Pomatorhinus superciliaris | the Himalayas to north-western Vietnam. |
Media related toPomatorhinus at Wikimedia Commons
Data related toPomatorhinus at Wikispecies