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White-necked Babbler Stachyris leucotis 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

14–15 cm; 26–29 g. Small, rather short-tailed, chunky babbler resembling S. nigricollis, but duller above, with fewer white markings and grey breast. Nominate race has crown greyish olive-brown, lores to area above eye buffy, continuing as (often broken) whitish supercilium breaking into white spots on black around rear of greyish ear-coverts; upperparts, including upperwing and tail, rufescent olive-brown, with bold pale rufous-buff tips on median and greater upperwing-coverts, tertials and secondaries; chin, submous­tachial area and throat black, extending to join black behind ear-coverts, sharply demarcated from mid-grey underparts, sometimes with pale shaft streaks, browner on flanks and lower belly; undertail-coverts rufescent brown with broad buffy tips; iris brown to dark brown; upper mandible dark grey to black, lower mandible pale grey to plumbeous; legs olive-brown to light brown. Sexes similar. Juvenile is duller above than adult, ear-coverts browner, supercilium and neck spots buffish, throat to belly dark brown. Race obscurata has crown dull dark grey, ear-coverts darker grey, lores rusty buff, wing spots rusty buff, deeper olive-brown lower belly; sumatrensis has crown darker than others, lores buff (as nominate), wing spots as previous, legs yellowish-grey.

Systematics History

Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.

Birds in Sabah (and perhaps elsewhere in Borneo) reported to be vocally distinct; further research required (1). Three subspecies recognized.

Subspecies

SUBSPECIES

Stachyris leucotis leucotis Scientific name definitions

Stachyris leucotis leucotis
S. l. leucotis

Distribution

S Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia.
SUBSPECIES

Stachyris leucotis sumatrensis Scientific name definitions

Distribution

N and C Sumatra.
SUBSPECIES

Stachyris leucotis obscurata Scientific name definitions

Stachyris leucotis obscurata
S. l. obscurata

Distribution

Borneo.

Distribution

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.

Habitat

Primary evergreen forest, selectively logged forest and heavily logged forest, extending up to 800 m; to 1000 m in N Borneo (Sabah). Apparently a slope specialist throughout range.

Movement

Resident.

Diet and Foraging

Black beetles (Coleoptera), flies (Diptera), caterpillars, small locustids. Occurs singly, in pairs or in small groups, sometimes in company with other small babblers, including S. nigricollis. Typically, forages on forest floor and lower storey, not far above ground, by gleaning from leaves.

Sounds and Vocal Behavior

Song a repeated, simple, whistled “uu-wi-u-wi”, “uu-wi-u-wi-u” or “uui-wi-oi-wi” (second note lower-pitched).

Breeding

Jan–Feb, May–Jun and possibly Dec. Nest a compact cup made of grass, roots and fibre. Clutch 3 eggs, white. No other information.

Conservation Status

Conservation status on Birdlife NT Near Threatened
Not globally threatened. Currently considered Near-threatened. Generally rare to scarce across range, appearing everywhere to occur at low density. In Borneo, use of mist-nets has demonstrated that this species and S. poliocephala are much commoner in lowland forests than is suggested by observer records. A Sundaic lowland-forest species, thus highly susceptible to the extensive forest destruction throughout its range, although numerical strength and preference for or use of hill-slope forest imply that it is not immediately at risk. Present but scarce in Taman Negara National Park, in Peninsular Malaysia; in Gunung Leuser and Bukit Tigapuluh National Parks, in Sumatra; and in Danum Valley Conservation Area and Poring Hot Springs, in Borneo (Sabah).
Distribution of the White-necked Babbler - Range Map
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  • Year-round
  • Migration
  • Breeding
  • Non-Breeding
Distribution of the White-necked Babbler

eBird and Macaulay Library

Recommended Citation

Collar, N. and C. Robson (2020). White-necked Babbler (Stachyris leucotis), 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.whnbab1.01
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