Stripe-breasted Rhabdornis Rhabdornis inornatus Scientific name definitions

15·2–16 cm; 31·6–47·2 g. Male nominate race has crown brownish grey with slightly darker feather edges, hindneck brown with prominent white shaft-streaks (forming decorative necklace); mantle and back brown with faint shaft-streaks, rump redder with very faint streaks; lesser upperwing-coverts with conspicuous white shaft-streaks or spots, primaries dark brown, secondaries brown; tail dark brown; dark brown mask from lores to hindneck, bordered above by supra­ocular line of white feathers with dark brown margins and below by whitish malar, neck behind mask has dark brown feathers with white centres (contributing to necklace); throat mottled dirty white and grey; flank feathers white bordered by reddish brown (giving striped appearance), pattern fading into breast, centre of breast and belly dirty white, undertail-coverts similar to flanks but with striping less clearly defined; iris dark brown; bill black; legs dark horn. Female is similar to male but lighter brown, including on mask. Immature is browner above than adult, underparts heavily streaked and washed with buff. Races differ mainly in presence or absence of decorative collar and white spots on lesser wing-coverts: leytensis is very similar to nominate, but crown greyer; alaris lacks collar and lacks white shaft-streaks/spots on lesser coverts.

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Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Opportunistic, eating a wide range of items including insects, and seeds and fruits, and once a small tree-frog; seen to eat small pea-sized (c. 5 mm) red berries on Mindanao. One individual attempted to eat contents of a cocoon, but without success. Tends to stay in upper and middle canopy of forest, and rarely seen near ground, but does not hesitate to perch openly on dead branches. Forages in small groups of up to ten individuals, and will join mixed-species flocks; gathers in large numbers at times when food concentrated and abundant, and aggregation of more than 100 individuals reported at insect emergences. While foraging for insects, jumps and hops among branches and leaves, gleaning. Individual on Mindanao hopped among outer branches, reaching under, stretching up or sallying out to pluck berries; at one point it perched perpendicularly on a branch next to a cluster of berries, and picked off and ate six berries in 33 seconds; after feeding, it flew to exposed dead branch. Captures emerging termites (Isoptera) or similar flying insects by aerial flycatching.

Calls described as a high-pitched “tzit”, repeated often, sometimes in rapid series as “tzit tzit tzit tzit”.

Nest construction observed in early Apr on Biliran; birds with enlarged gonads in Apr and May and immatures in Feb and Apr–Jun. Nest in tree cavity; Biliran nest was being built c. 15 m above ground in hole of partially dead tree, provisionally identified as a binoloan (Acmena acuminatissima), two adults brought in small sticks 5–8 cm long, leaves c. 7 cm long and a piece of shredded bark, and time spent by the birds inside nest-hole varied from ten seconds to six minutes. No other information.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Restricted-range species: confined to Mindanao and the Eastern Visayas EBA. Relatively uncommon and local. This species’ global population size has not been quantified, but it is described as uncommon. Its numbers are suspected to be declining owing to ongoing habitat destruction and fragmentation. In view of the continuing loss of forest habitat in this species’ range, it may be advisable to maintain a reasonably regular check on the populations of this and other forest-dependent species in the Philippines.