Stachyris maculata
The Chestnut-rumped Babbler (*Stachyris maculata*) is a charmingly vocal and active resident of Southeast Asian forests, belonging to the Old World Babbler family, Timaliidae. This small passerine typically measures around 15-16 cm (6-6.3 inches) in length and weighs about 15-20 grams. Its most distinctive field mark is, as its name suggests, a rich chestnut-brown rump and flanks, contrasting with an olive-brown back and wings. The head is grayish-brown, finely streaked with black, and featur...
This species primarily inhabits lowland and hill primary and secondary evergreen forests, favoring dense undergrowth, bamboo thickets, and regenerating areas. It is typically found from sea level up to elevations of about 1,200 meters, though occasionally recorded higher.
Predominantly insectivorous, their diet consists mainly of beetles, caterpillars, ants, spiders, and other invertebrates, supplemented occasionally by small berries or seeds. They forage by gleaning and probing dense vegetation, bark, and leaf litter.
Chestnut-rumped Babblers are highly social and diurnal, often observed foraging actively in small, cohesive family groups or as part of larger mixed-species flocks, moving through the lower and mid-canopy strata. Their foraging strategy involves gleaning insects and larvae from foliage, bark crev...
The Chestnut-rumped Babbler is a resident species found across Southeast Asia, with a fragmented distribution encompassing the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo. On the Malay Peninsula, its range extends from southern Thailand through Peninsular Malaysia to Singapore. In Sumatra, it is found t...
Least Concern
- The Chestnut-rumped Babbler is a key member of the diverse mixed-species foraging flocks common in Southeast Asian rainforests, often serving as a nuclear species. - Despite its "babbler" name, its vocalizations are often described more as a continuous series of churring, whirring, and trilling...