Flame-templed babbler
| Flame-templed babbler | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Zosteropidae |
| Genus: | Dasycrotapha |
| Species: | D. speciosa
|
| Binomial name | |
| Dasycrotapha speciosa Tweeddale, 1878
| |
| Synonyms | |
|
Stachyris speciosa (Tweeddale, 1878) | |
The flame-templed babbler (Dasycrotapha speciosa) is a species of
Description
EBird describes the bird as "A small bird. Has a gray back with fine pale streaks, golden flight feathers, a yellowish belly, a brighter yellow chest extending around the collar, a black head with black spots on the upper chest, and a yellow bill, forehead, chin, and short moustache stripe. Note the white-streaked cheek and the orange tufts on the back of the head. Often joins mixed-species flocks, where it methodically forages in the understory and at middle heights in the forest. Unmistakable. Song is a descending whistled warble."[4]
The flame-templed babbler is an omnivore feeding on small insects and berries, flowers and figs. These babblers feed and breed in understory bushes, trees, vines and ferns.[5]
Habitat and conservation status
The flame-templed babbler inhabits lowland forest, forest edge and secondary growth below 1,000 m, occasionally occurring up to 1,180 m. Highest densities have been recorded in the thick undergrowth of degraded secondary forest and observations come from the lower strata (up to 8 m) in the understory, where birds stay in deep cover and are consequently unobtrusive unless singing.[3]
IUCN has assessed this bird as endangered estimating the population to be just 2,500 - 9,999 mature individuals. In areas where habitat is still good, they occur in high densities of more than 20 birds per square kilometer; however, overall remaining habitat is greatly reduced. It was only fairly recently discovered in Panay in 1987 and is only found in five localities.[6]
This species' main threat is
It occurs in a few protected areas within Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park and Northern Negros Natural Park; however, protection and enforcement against deforestation is lax. It also occurs in the proposed Central Panay Mountain Range Park which contains the largest block of remaining forest in the Western Visayas, and the tourist destination of Twin Lakes (Mount Talinis). Both sites benefit from conservation funding but are still under threat by deforestation.[6]
References
- ^ . Retrieved 11 November 2021.
- ISBN 978-0-521-82502-3.
- ^ a b Allen, Desmond (2020). Birds of the Philippines. Barcelona: Lynx and Birdlife Guides International. pp. 298–299.
- ^ "Flame-templed Babbler". Ebird. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
- ^ "Negros bird babblers' conservation pushed". The Manila Times. 2017-09-19. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
- ^ a b "Flame-templed Babbler (Dasycrotapha speciosa) - BirdLife species factsheet". datazone.birdlife.org. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
Further reading
- Collar, N. J. & Robson, C. 2007. Family Timaliidae (Babblers) pp. 70 – 291 in; del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. & Christie, D.A. eds. Handbook of the Birds of the World, Vol. 12. Picathartes to Tits and Chickadees. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.