Family/Sub-family Timaliidae

Species name author (Bonaparte, 1850)

Taxonomic source(s) Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993)

Synonyms Trichastoma perspicillatum Collar and Andrew (1988)

Identification 16 cm. Drab, forest-dwelling babbler. Grey head with black supercilia joining above bill. Brown upperparts, wings and tail, becoming warmer on rump and undertail. Rest of underparts greyish-white, white throat. Stout, pale pinkish legs. Similar spp. Short-tailed Babbler M. malaccensis is smaller with shorter tail, Abbot's Babbler M. abbotti is also smaller and lacks black brow. Voice Undocumented.

Population estimate

Population trend

Range estimate (breeding/resident)

Country endemic?

unknown

decreasing

-

Yes

Range & population Malacocincla perspicillata is known by a single specimen of uncertain provenance, but reputedly from South Kalimantan, Indonesia. The collecting locality is not known, but most likely to be around Martapura (or, slightly less likely, Banjarmasin), dating from between 1843 and 1848. Nothing is known about its population, except that numbers are likely to have decreased in line with habitat loss in recent decades.

Ecology: The type-specimen appears to have been taken in lowland forest, and the relatively short tarsus suggests that it might be rather more arboreal than its congeners. Nothing further is known.

Threats The vague type-locality lies within an area of agricultural development and heavy logging, and the original natural habitat may have now disappeared entirely. Habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation, as a result of large-scale commercial logging, even within protected areas, and widespread clearance for plantations of rubber and oil-palm are the likely main threats, assuming it is a forest bird. The full impact of the major fires of 1997-1998 has still to be assessed, but drought fires appear to be increasing in frequency and severity. Together with ongoing logging, they are likely to lead to the near complete removal of dryland lowland forest in Kalimantan in the next few years.

Conservation measures underway None are known. Perhaps surprisingly there have been no recent searches for the species, presumably owing, at least in part, to the long period of uncertainty over its taxonomic status. There are two nature reserves in South Kalimantan that are situated near to the (presumed) area of the type-locality, Pleihari Tanah Laut and Pleihari Martapura.

Conservation measures proposed Conduct extensive surveys for the species, ranging out from the probable area of the type-locality (including Pleihari Tanah Laut and Pleihari Martapura Nature Reserves), to establish its range, distribution, population status and level of threat, and assess its habitat requirements. Identify its conservation needs and thereby devise and implement appropriate protective measures, including the establishment and management of protected areas.

References BirdLife International (2001).

Further web sources of information

Fully detailed species accounts from the Threatened birds of Asia: the BirdLife International Red Data Book (BirdLife International 2001), together with new information collated since the publication of the Red Data Book

Text account compilers Phil Benstead (BirdLife International), Pete Davidson (BirdLife International), Simon Mahood (BirdLife International), John Pilgrim (BirdLife International), Andy Symes (BirdLife International), Joe Tobias (BirdLife International)

Contributors Nigel Collar (BirdLife International), Mike Crosby (BirdLife International)

IUCN Red List evaluators Jeremy Bird (BirdLife International), Stuart Butchart (BirdLife International), Simon Mahood (BirdLife International)

Recommended citation BirdLife International (2009) Species factsheet: Malacocincla perspicillata. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 9/2/2010

This information is based upon, and updates, the information published in BirdLife International (2000) Threatened birds of the world. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, BirdLife International (2004) Threatened birds of the world 2004 CD-ROM and BirdLife International (2008) Threatened birds of the world 2008 CD-ROM. These sources provide the information for species accounts for the birds on the IUCN Red List.

To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife

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