Rusty-cheeked scimitar babbler

Rusty-cheeked scimitar babbler
	E. e. erythrogenys, Ghatgarh, Nainital, Uttarakhand, India.
Conservation status
	; Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Timaliidae
Genus:	Erythrogenys
Species:	E. erythrogenys
Binomial name
	Erythrogenys erythrogenys; (Vigors, 1831)

The rusty-cheeked scimitar babbler (Erythrogenys erythrogenys) is a species of bird in the family Timaliidae native to South-East Asia.

Subspecies

Erythrogenys erythrogenys has a number of recognized subspecies:^[2]

E. e. erythrogenys (northwest Himalayas)
E. e. imberbis
E. e. haringtoni
E. e. gravivox
E. e. macclellandi
E. e. ferrugilatus (central Himalayas from Nepal to Bhutan)
E. e. imberbis (east Myanmar)
E. e. celata (east Myanmar and northwest Thailand)

Description

The species is olive-brown above, with rusty colouring on the sides of the face, head, thighs, and flanks. The belly is mostly white. Sexes are alike. The beak is long and decurved in a scimitar shape.^[2]

Distribution and habitat

The rusty-cheeked scimitar babbler is found from the Himalayas to Myanmar. It inhabits subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest habitats at elevations up to 2,600 m (8,500 ft).^[1]

Ecology

The bird feeds mostly on the forest floor and in low canopy, forming small groups. Food items include insects, grubs and seeds. Calls consist of a mellow, fluty whistle, a two-noted "CUE..PE...CUE..pe" call followed by single note replay by mate, guttural alarm calls and a liquid contact note. The species is generally quite noisy.^[1]^[2]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c BirdLife International (2016). "Erythrogenys erythrogenys". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22715955A94476761. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22715955A94476761.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c Baker, Edward Charles Stuart (1922). The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma (Birds Vol 1). Taylor and Francis. pp. 219–222.