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Negros Striped-Babbler Zosterornis nigrorum Scientific name definitions

Nigel Collar and Craig Robson
Version: 1.0 — Published March 4, 2020
Text last updated January 1, 2007

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Originally Appeared in

HBW Alive

Field Identification

14·5–15 cm. Forecrown and supercilium are black, rest of crown, neck side and upperparts olive; upperwing and tail dark greyish-brown, tertials and secondaries with whitish inner fringes (invisible on closed wing); lores whitish, cheek and frontal ear-coverts whitish with blackish flecks, rear ear-coverts olive with blackish flecks, submous­tachial area white basally, black distally; chin and throat whitish, shading to yellowish on breast to belly, with narrow blackish shaft streaks on breast and broader, softer-edged, more greyish-olive streaks on belly and vent, olive-grey flanks and thighs; iris colour undocumented, believed dull reddish; white orbital skin; bill black; legs dark grey. Differs from very similar Z. latistriatus in having black extending from forehead over eye, no obvious “tramlines” (moustachial and malar lines) in upper submoustachial area but lower submoustachial area black and pronounced, streaking below much thinner and olive-green, rather than blackish (also, tail reportedly more reddish, but this not apparent on skins). Sexes similar. Juvenile apparently unrecorded.

Systematics History

Arguably conspecific with Z. latistriatus, but vocally distinct. Monotypic.

Subspecies

Monotypic.

Distribution

Negros, in WC Philippine Is.

Habitat

Montane forest, secondary and degraded forest, forest edge and adjacent banana plantations and dense bushes; at 900–1600 m, mainly above 1000 m.

Movement

Resident.

Diet and Foraging

Insects and small fruits. Found singly, in pairs or in small parties of up to c. 20 individuals; often in association with other species, including Philippine Bulbul (Hypsipetes philippinus), Mountain White-eye (Zosterops montanus), Mountain Leaf-warbler (Phylloscopus trivirgatus), Blue-headed Fantail (Rhipidura cyaniceps) and Elegant Tit (Pardaliparus elegans); a primary constituent of bird waves where common. Forages in foliage of understorey trees and bushes, occasionally ascending to c. 20 m in canopy (e.g. at sunset); once seen to feed among dead leaves hanging under head of banana plant.

Sounds and Vocal Behavior

Song a loud pure whistle (sometimes delivered as subdued version), “pli-hi pli-hy pli-hi pli-hy” (or “pli-plie”), the first and third couplets rising and second and fourth falling, or “plea-he, plea-hü, plea-he, plea-hü”; a single burst also described as “tu-tu tutu soo”. Contact call a soft continuous “tsip, tsip…” or short sharp “tzi”, sometimes becoming a trill; also a high-pitched “weeet” and a double note.

Breeding

Female in breeding condition in Nov and birds with slightly enlarged gonads in Nov–Dec; dependent juvenile observed in Sept. No other information.

Conservation Status

Conservation status on Birdlife EN Endangered

ENDANGERED. Restricted-range species: present in Negros and Panay EBA. Confined to island of Negros, where known from only four sites: three on and around Mt Talinis (Cuernos de Negros), in S, and one on Mt Canlaon (single record of single bird), in N. Record at latter site not repeated, despite much fieldwork, so area unlikely to be of great value to species; Mt Talinis therefore the crucial (and indeed only post-1980) site. On Mt Talinis was rather common above 1050 m in 1991, but numbers may fluctuate between sublocalities on the mountain; moreover, area under some pressure from illegal logging and slash-and-burn colonizers, despite being under control of Philippine National Oil Corporation, which operates a large geothermal powerplant on the mountain, and despite these forests being the sole watershed for the human population in S of island.

Distribution of the Negros Striped-Babbler - Range Map
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  • Year-round
  • Migration
  • Breeding
  • Non-Breeding
Distribution of the Negros Striped-Babbler

eBird and Macaulay Library

Recommended Citation

Collar, N. and C. Robson (2020). Negros Striped-Babbler (Zosterornis nigrorum), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.nesbab1.01
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