Jewel-babbler

Last updated

Jewel-babblers
EupetesLeucostictusSmit.jpg
Spotted jewel-babbler (Ptilorrhoa leucosticta)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Cinclosomatidae
Genus: Ptilorrhoa
J.L. Peters, 1940
Type species
Eupetes caerulescens [1]
Temminck, 1836
Species

4, see text

Ptilorrhoa distribution.png
Global range (In red)

The jewel-babblers are the bird genus Ptilorrhoa in the family Cinclosomatidae. The genus contains four species that are endemic to New Guinea. The genus was once considered to contain the rail-babbler, [2] but that species is now considered to belong to its own family. The genus is closely related to the better known quail-thrushes (Cinclosoma) of New Guinea and Australia. Together with a number of other genera they comprise the family Cinclosomatidae, although the validity of this family as a whole has been questioned.

The jewel-babblers resemble the quail-thrushes in shape, being plump, long-tailed and short winged. They are adapted to life on the forest floor. The plumage of this genus is the most striking divergence from the quail-thrushes, having large amounts of blue and often with chestnut on the back. The throats of all species are white and the patch is mostly surrounded by a black edge. There is moderate levels of sexual dimorphism in the plumage, except in the dimorphic jewel-babbler where the female has no blue and is all chestnut coloured. When moving they hold the body horizontally to the ground, and bob their heads back and forth in a similar fashion to pigeons, and move their tail in a fashion similar to wagtails.

The jewel-babblers as a whole are not a well known or studied genus.

It contains the following species:

ImageCommon NameScientific nameDistribution
EupetesLeucostictusSmit.jpg Spotted jewel-babbler Ptilorrhoa leucostictaHighland forest, New Guinea
Ptilorrhoa caerulescens 1838.jpg Blue jewel-babbler Ptilorrhoa caerulescenssubtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, New Guinea
Brown-headed jewel-babbler Ptilorrhoa geislerorumNew Guinea
Eupetes castanonotus - The Birds of New Guinea (cropped).jpg Chestnut-backed jewel-babbler Ptilorrhoa castanonotasubtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, New Guinea

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Psophodidae</span> Family of birds

Psophodidae is a family of passerine birds native to Australia and nearby areas. It has a complicated taxonomic history and different authors vary in which birds they include in the family. In the strictest sense, it includes only the five or six species of whipbirds and wedgebills, but some authors also include the quail-thrushes (Cinclosoma), eight species of ground-dwelling birds found in Australia and New Guinea, and the jewel-babblers (Ptilorrhoa), three or four species found in rainforest in New Guinea. Others place them in their own family, the Cinclosomatidae. The Malaysian rail-babbler was formerly sometimes placed in this family, which would then be called Eupetidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rail-babbler</span> Genus of birds

The rail-babbler or Malaysian rail-babbler is a strange, rail-like, brown and pied ground-living bird. It is the only species in the genus Eupetes and family Eupetidae. It lives on the floor of primary forests in the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra, as well as Borneo. It is distantly related to African crow-like birds. Its population has greatly decreased because much of the lowland primary forest has been cut, and secondary forests usually have too dense a bottom vegetation or do not offer enough shade to be favourable for the species. However, it is locally still common in logged forest or on hill-forest on slopes, and probably not in immediate danger of extinction. The species is poorly known and rarely seen, in no small part due to its shyness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quail-thrush</span> Genus of birds

A quail-thrush is a bird of the genus Cinclosoma, which contains eight species. Quail-thrushes are in a different family from either quails or thrushes, but bear some superficial resemblance to them. The genus is found in Australia and New Guinea in a variety of habitats ranging from rainforest to deserts. The genus is closely related to the jewel-babblers of New Guinea. Seven species were recognised in 2007. A molecular study published in 2015 by Gaynor Dolman and Leo Joseph resulted in the splitting of the chestnut-backed quail-thrush into the chestnut quail-thrush of eastern Australia and the copperback quail-thrush in the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chestnut-breasted quail-thrush</span> Species of bird

The chestnut-breasted quail-thrush is a small endemic Australian bird which is predominantly found within the semi-arid deserts of New South Wales and Queensland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chestnut quail-thrush</span> Species of bird

The chestnut quail-thrush is a native Australian bird of the family Cinclosomatidae. These scrub birds are endemic to Australia and found in all states - barring Tasmania. They are relatively uncommon and are isolated to the semi-arid and arid fringes of the Australian interior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nullarbor quail-thrush</span> Species of bird

The Nullarbor quail-thrush is a species of bird in the family Cinclosomatidae. It is the only Australian bird endemic to the Nullarbor Plain in southern Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinclosomatidae</span> Family of birds

Cinclosomatidae is a family of passerine birds native to Australia and New Guinea. It has a complicated taxonomic history and different authors vary in which birds they include in the family. It includes the quail-thrushes and jewel-babblers.

References

  1. ↑ "Cinclosomatidae". aviansystematics.org. The Trust for Avian Systematics. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
  2. ↑ Peters, James L. (1940). "A Genus for Eupetes caerulescens Temminck" (PDF). The Auk. 57 (1): 94.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.