| Chestnut-capped babbler | |
|---|---|
 | |
| At Baur reservoir area ofUttarakhand,India | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Timaliidae |
| Genus: | Timalia Horsfield, 1821 |
| Species: | T. pileata |
| Binomial name | |
| Timalia pileata Horsfield, 1821 | |
Thechestnut-capped babbler (Timalia pileata) is apasserine bird of the familyTimaliidae. It ismonotypic within the genusTimalia.[2]
The chestnut-capped babbler is placed as the sole species in the genusTimalia. It is divided into sixsubspecies with the following distribution:[3]
This species is most closely related to the two Indian species, thetawny-bellied babbler and thedark-fronted babbler. Together they form asister group to the rest of the species in the family Timaliidae.[4]
The chestnut-capped babbler is a medium-sized (15.5–17 cm)babbler with a fairly long, wedge-shaped tail and a thick, black bill.[5] The plumage is unbarred brown with characteristic head markings: a chestnut-coloured crown and black eye mask contrasting with a white forehead and white eyebrow line.[6]
This bird is native inBangladesh,Cambodia,China,India,Indonesia,Laos,Myanmar,Nepal,Thailand, andVietnam.[1]
TheSukla Phanta Wildlife Reserve inNepal represents the western limit of itsdistribution.[7]
The species is found in tall grass, reed beds and shrublands. It feeds on butterfly larvae, beetles and other insects. The bird breeds between February and October in India and between April and September in Southeast Asia. It probably lays several clutches.[5][6]
The species has a large range and population, but is thought to be declining in numbers due to habitat destruction andfragmentation, although not sufficiently so to be consideredthreatened. TheInternational Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) therefore categorizes the species as "Least Concern".[1] The global population has not been estimated, but it is described as locally common to uncommon.[8]
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