Zosterornis whiteheadi
The Chestnut-faced Babbler, *Zosterornis whiteheadi*, is a captivating and highly social passerine endemic to the northern Philippines, representing a distinctive member of the white-eye family, Zosteropidae. Measuring approximately 13-15 cm in length and weighing around 12-18 grams, this small, active bird is immediately identifiable by its striking chestnut-colored face, which extends from the lore to the ear-coverts, sharply contrasting with a clean white throat. Its crown and nape are dar...
This species primarily inhabits moist montane broadleaf forests and cloud forests, favoring the understory and mid-story layers of dense vegetation, typically found at elevations between 900 to 2,900 meters above sea level.
Its diet consists primarily of small insects and other invertebrates, such as beetles, caterpillars, and spiders, supplemented occasionally with small fruits and berries gleaned from foliage and bark.
The Chestnut-faced Babbler is a highly gregarious and diurnal species, typically observed in bustling flocks of 10 to 30 individuals, often integrating into larger mixed-species foraging parties alongside other babblers, white-eyes, and warblers. These energetic flocks actively forage throughout ...
The Chestnut-faced Babbler is strictly endemic to the mountainous regions of Luzon, the largest island in the Philippines. Its distribution is fragmented across various mountain ranges, including the Cordillera Central in the northern part of the island, the Sierra Madre range in the east, and to...
Least Concern
- Despite its common name "Babbler," recent genetic studies have reclassified the Chestnut-faced Babbler into the Zosteropidae family, which includes white-eyes and yuhinas, rather than the Timaliidae (true babblers). - It is endemic to the island of Luzon in the Philippines, meaning it is found ...