Birds · Passeriformes · Timaliidae

Streak-breasted Scimitar-Babbler

Pomatorhinus ruficollis

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The streak-breasted scimitar babbler is a bird of the Asian understorey with a long, downcurved bill like a scimitar, a marked white eyebrow and a chestnut collar. It moves in noisy groups through dense vegetation, poking about in the leaf litter and in bamboo stems in search of invertebrates.

Weight

30 g – 33 g

Size

16 cm – 19 cm

Lifespan

8 years

Diet

Insectivore

Feeds mainly on insects and other invertebrates.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Family group

Lives in small family groups with close bonds.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

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Fun facts

Its scimitar-curved bill gives it its name in several languages and lets it probe the cracks in bamboo stems and under bark, a niche few birds of its size exploit.
It moves in noisy family groups that keep in constant contact with calls and duets: male and female alternate notes with such precision that they sound like a single bird.
It is a regular member of the mixed understorey flocks of the Himalayas, in which dozens of species move through the forest together.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Dense understorey, bamboo stands and montane scrub of the eastern Himalayas and southern China
Birth weight: Altricial: born blind, naked or with sparse down and entirely dependent
Size at birth: Altricial: born blind, naked or with sparse down and entirely dependent
Sexual maturity: 12 months
Gestation / incubation: 15 days of incubation
Litter / clutch size: 4 eggs