Rufous-tailed Babbler Moupinia poecilotis Scientific name definitions

15 cm. Small babbler, brown above , whitish to buff below , with rusty wings and long tail, short bill with decurved upper mandible. Crown, nape and upper back are dull mid-brown with rufous tinge, shading to rufous-brown on rear upperparts and stronger chestnut-rufous on upperwing and tail; supercilium from lores stony buff, area under eye to ear-coverts pale gray-brown with narrow stony-buff streaks, submoustachial area buffy with dark flecks; chin, throat and upper breast whitish, breast side and upper flanks buffy gray-brown, shading inwards to buffy on lower breast to belly, and shading darker to buffish-tan on lower flanks, thighs and vent; iris brown to pale crimson; bill brown, paler base; legs light gray-brown to dark brown. Sexes similar. Juvenile is brown above, with rufous uppertail-coverts and tail, supercilium ill-defined.

Birds from northwestern Yunnan sometimes recognized as subspecies sordidior. Monotypic.

Southern Gansu, Sichuan and northwestern Yunnan, in southern China.

Invertebrates. Rather sluggish when foraging , usually in very dense undergrowth 2–3 m above ground. Will sit up in the open.

Song , given with throat puffed out, a clear, quickly delivered “phu pwiii” (sounding like a human exhaling and then inhaling), sometimes introduced by short “chit” or similar, particularly when excited. When agitated, various combinations of short stuttering notes, e.g. “tu-chit-tu”, “tu-chit-tu-chu”, “ti-tu” and “tu-chip-tu”, may be given before song.

Jun–Jul. Nest described as a cup made of leaves, twigs and bark, lined with wool and grass, placed 0.3 m above ground in small tree. Clutch 3 eggs, white with uneven reddish-brown, purple-brown and light brown dots, denser around broader end. No further information.